Love Story
by Inubaby-909
Summary: In a modern twist of Romeo&Juliet, Edward, Bella and their feuding families fight to overcome deeply set prejudices against one another in hope of finding love, friendship and forgiveness. AU, AH, E/B, J/A, EM/R.
1. Supreme Overlord of the Galaxy

**Summary: **In a modern twist of Romeo&Juliet, Edward, Bella and their feuding families fight to overcome deeply set prejudices against one another in hope of finding love, friendship and forgiveness. AU, AH, E/B, J/A, EM/R.

**A/N:** So this is the first chapter to "Love Story" a Twilight fic. I just want to say that the chapters for this story is going to be much shorter than what I usually push for, but that will make it a lot easier and faster for me to post. This story was inspired partly by Taylor Swift's song, "Love Story" and partly by EclipseoftheTwilightMoon. Thank you, EclipseoftheTwilightMoon, for encouraging me to write again and I want to dedicate this story to you. Oh, and I suppose I owe a thank you to Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" for further inspiration.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Twilight or any of its characters. I also don't own Taylor Swift's song, "Love Story."

* * *

.

**Love Story**

.

* * *

_We were both young when I first saw you.  
I close my eyes and the flashback starts:  
I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air._

_See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns.  
See you make your way through the crowd  
and say hello;_

_Little did I know  
That you were Romeo; you were throwing pebbles,  
And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet!"  
And I was crying on the staircase,  
begging you, "Please, don't go."_

_And I said,  
"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.  
I'll be waiting; all there's left to do is run.  
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
It's a love story - baby just say 'Yes.'"_

_So I sneak out to the garden to see you.  
We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew.  
So close your eyes; escape this town for a little while.  
'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter,  
And my daddy said "Stay away from him Juliet!"  
But you were everything to me; I was begging you, "Please, don't go."_

_And I said,  
"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.  
I'll be waiting; all there's left to do is run.  
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
It's a love story - baby just say 'Yes.'_

_Romeo save me - they're tryin' to tell me how to feel;  
This love is difficult, but it's real.  
Don't be afraid; we'll make it out of this mess.  
It's a love story - baby just say 'Yes.'"_

_I got tired of waiting,  
Wondering if you were ever comin' around.  
My faith in you was fading  
When I met you on the outskirts of town,_

_And I said,  
"Romeo save me - I've been feeling so alone.  
I keep waiting for you but you never come.  
Is this in my head? I don't know what to think-"_

_He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said,  
"Marry me, Juliet - you'll never have to be alone.  
I love you and that's all I really know.  
I talked to your dad - go pick out a white dress;  
It's a love story - baby just say 'Yes.'"_

_Oh, oh._

_We were both young when I first saw you..._

.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Supreme Overlord of the Galaxy**

**Bella POV**

"Bella. Bella! _Bella!_"

I was startled abruptly out of my dazed thoughts as a slender hand shook me roughly back and forth. I blinked in surprise before looking up to meet the concerned, yet annoyed, azure eyes of my stepsister.

"Sorry, Rose," I apologized, smiling sheepishly as I closed my well-worn anthology of Shakespearean plays with a muffled snap. I had been halfway through Act 2 of Romeo and Juliet before I had started to zone out, daydreaming about the unrealistic love that the Capulet and Montague had shared.

Getting up from my reclined position on my bed, I tucked my coveted book into my overfilled bookcase before turning to face the ever impatient Rosalie. She stood almost an entire head taller than me, mostly due to her impossibly long legs that seemed to go on for forever. She had a body that would bring a bikini model to shame and her face was flawless, comparable only to the airbrushed faces of celebrities on magazine covers. Needless to say, I felt like a frumpy, box-shaped gremlin standing next to her. Despite my shameful envy of her good looks, she was still my sister (blood-related or not) and one of the best friends I could ever hope for.

"I can see that you've been succumbing to the guilty pleasures of your addiction, yet again, Bella," she drawled, rolling her brilliantly blue eyes exaggeratedly. "What was it this time? Twelfth Night? A Midsummer's Night Dream?"

"Romeo and Juliet, _actually_," I sniffed haughtily, thrusting my nose in the air like a snob. She giggled softly at my actions, her laughter pleasant and musical.

"Honestly, Bella," she muttered, shaking her head with a small smile on her face. "With your obsession with that play, you'd think that your view on love wouldn't be so cynical." I simply shrugged in reply, a wry smile on my lips. Although Romeo and Juliet was definitely one of my favorite plays by Shakespeare, I found it hard to believe that a love like that was possible anywhere, except in the world of fiction. To me, "Love at First Sight" was merely an excuse to cover up lust and infatuation.

"So," she started, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against my desk. "How come you aren't getting ready? You _are_ the guest of honor today, remember?"

I groaned loudly, throwing myself back onto my bed and burying my head into my pillows. "_Please_, don't remind me!"

I felt my bed dip slightly as Rosalie sat beside me, her hand coming to rest gently on my back. "C'mon, Bella," she persuaded, rubbing my back reassuringly. "You promised us that you wouldn't complain this time. 18 is a pretty big year; you're finally an adult!"

I sighed at her words, knowing that there was no way I would be able to prevent this. I _had_ promised them and it was way too late to back down now: the _party_ was scheduled to start in a few hours.

I cringed at the mere word, hating every aspect of it, but buckled down my resolve for the night. I wouldn't break my word. Though, _God_, I regret the second I made that promise. In my opinion, their attack had been deviously calculated and utterly ruthless, leaving me a stammering, defenseless mess as they mercilessly plucked the prize from my weak grasp.

They had been patient, waiting silently for the opportune moment to pounce. Like a stalking tiger shadowing a baby gazelle, they had watched me, their lingering stares penetrating the thin layer of my nerves and causing my clumsy nature to increase tenfold. And that had been their plan all along. Psych out the prey until it slipped up, crumbling under the pressure and falling victim to the triumphant jaws of the hunter.

I had been doing laundry, carrying a basketful of folded clothes upstairs to be exact, when things started unraveling.

Although I was the youngest in the house and the others were very much capable of doing their own laundry, I had grown a habit of doing everyone's laundry when I did my own. It was something that I had developed when living with my mom, Renee, during the summers and I found no problem in continuing it when I came back to Forks, especially since Rose and Jasper's mom's death a few years ago.

It just so happened that the laundry basket was filled with Jasper's clothes so I had struggled up the stairs and into his room.

Jasper was my older brother and was also Rosalie's twin, making him just as breathtakingly gorgeous as her, though with masculine features. He shared her shimmering blond hair, but whereas her eyes were a brilliant azure color, his were a deeper cobalt blue. He had sharper, more angular facial features than Rose, though the similarity between the two was impossible to deny.

I had entered his room, kicking lightly at his door to let him know I was coming in, and found him sitting at his desk working on a school project. He glanced up from the intricate, complicated looking model that he was building and flashed me a smile.

"Hey, Bells!" he had said, eyeing the basket I held in my arms. "Thanks, I was going to do it myself but I got distracted with my assignment."

I had rolled my eyes at his words; the day Jasper did his own laundry was the day I was declared the Supreme Overlord of the Galaxy. Making my way over to his dresser, I had felt his gaze boring into the side of my face which had caused me to get somewhat anxious. All week long, Rosalie, Jasper and even my dad had watched my every single move, leaving my nerves a frazzled mess.

It was only inevitable that in my state of acute nervousness, I would combust into a billion gory pieces, showering Jasper and his room with my blood and guts. Well, it was close enough. In a feat that only I could pull off, I had tripped over air as I had passed Jasper, the extra weight of the laundry basket making it impossible to catch myself. Throwing the basket away from my body so as not to hurt myself more as I fell (I knew a lot about the proper way to fall due to all my experience), I had rolled as I met the floor.

I had heard Jasper's cry of concern the same moment I had heard something crash to the floor with a rather sickening crunch followed closely by the delicate tinkling of metal bouncing off the hardwood floors.

Looking up from the ground, my eyes had flown past the worried expression of Jasper who was hovering over me and had zeroed in on the mess of metal parts on the floor behind him. My eyes had widened in horror and I was up and crouching over it in an instant.

"Oh my God, oh my God!" I had exclaimed, trying uselessly to put together the pieces of Jasper's project with shaking hands. "Jasper, I am _so _incredibly sorry! Oh my God, Jasper, what have I _done_!" The guilt had been overwhelming and I had been able to feel the tears at the corners of my eyes. Jasper was very serious about his work, he had to be if he wanted to be a successful architect, and I knew just how much effort and passion he put into each project. And I had ruined it. With one simple act of clumsiness, I had ruined his entire project. I had never hated my klutziness more than that moment.

He had simply picked me up off the floor, gently pulling the broken pieces of his project from my fingers and dropping them with the rest before cradling me on his bed. I had clutched his shirt, curling into a tiny ball and had muttered "I'm sorry" over and over while he silently comforted me. Being almost 6 years older, Jasper and Rosalie had always babied me, especially with my tendency to fall all the time and I couldn't help but feel comfort in their concern. Jasper had enthusiastically embraced the role of the protective older brother to me, since Rosalie was way too independent to rely on her twin for protecting, and he had always been there for me ever since I could remember.

My father, Charlie Swan, and Renee had gotten divorced when I was barely born; Charlie chose to stay in Forks where he had been raised while Renee left with me to Florida. I had been almost one when Renee had started steadily seeing Phil, some baseball player that she had met through a friend. They had clicked and 6 months later were married. For their honeymoon, they had left me with Charlie while they vacationed for 2 months.

Charlie had also been seeing someone, so by the time Renee had dropped me off, Amanda Hale and her barely 7 year old twins were already constantly over. I didn't remember much of my younger years, but I had been told that Charlie and Amanda had gotten married when I was three and that Jasper, Rosalie and I were inseparable since I had been spending increasingly more time with them while Renee and Phil had gone on their excursions. Finally, when I was 5, Renee had given Charlie full custody so that she and Phil could travel around the world.

Unfortunately, Amanda had died 4 years ago in a car accident. Charlie had taken it badly and had devoted himself completely to his job as the Head of Fork's Police Department. Although I loved both Charlie and Renee deeply, the only family I really had for support were Jasper and Rosalie, and I would not give them up for the world.

"Bella," Jasper had murmured, rubbing my back comfortingly. "It's okay, Bella, I'll just build it again. It wasn't hard to do." Jasper's soothing voice had made me even guiltier and I couldn't help but let a few tears fall.

"Jasper, I'm so sorry!"

"What happened here?" We had both looked up to see Rosalie standing at the door, a perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched in question as she eyed the laundry all over the floor as well as the shattered remains of Jasper's project. Seeing me wrapped up in Jasper's arms, Rose had instantly come over to join us, engulfing both of us in a hug.

"Bella had an accident and unintentionally knocked over my model for school," Jasper had explained, meeting Rose's eye over my head.

"I'm so sorry!" I had wailed again, wedged between my two best friends. "I'll do anything you want, Jasper! I promise I'll make it up to you!"

"Really, Bella, it isn't that big a deal," Jasper had reassured, a hint of exasperation in his voice. "You don't have to do anything for me."

"Actually," Rosalie had said, her tone of voice making both me and Jasper look up at her in confusion. "There's something that you _could_ do for him…" She had trailed off, looking pointedly at Jasper who then "Ah!"ed in realization.

I had pulled back so that I could see both of their faces and I had grown suspicious at the matching grins on their faces.

"What do you want me to do?" I had asked warily, eyeing the two of them cautiously. And that was when they had sprung.

"Oh, well, in a few weeks there happens to be a very special occasion that will be occurring," Jasper had started innocently, his cobalt eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Okay," I had answered slowly, confused as to where they were heading.

"And we want to… oh, I dunno, celebrate a little bit," Rose had continued, sweeping her silky hair absentmindedly over a shoulder. I had frozen, quickly doing the math in my head and mentally groaning as I was submerged in dread. No. They wouldn't.

"And we _know_ you go all crazy when we try and enforce a little bit of celebrating so…" Jasper had gone on, ignoring my look of utter dismay as I felt sick to my stomach. They loved me. They wouldn't do that to me.

"We want you to promise to take _whatever_ we might give to you and attend _whatever_ we might plan for you on the 13th of September, _without_ a word of complaint!" They had grinned at me evilly and I could practically hear them cackling in those devious little heads of theirs. I should've known they would.

"But-but I _hate_ parties! Let alone birthday parties dedicated to _me_!" I had whimpered, throwing on my pleading, puppy-dog face. But it had been no use. They were merciless.

"Bella," Jasper had sighed in mock sadness, shaking his head and looking away from me. "And here I thought you were sorry that I had to go through all that work again. I _really_ liked the way that model was turning out too…"

"I-I…" I looked again at the mess on the floor and another wave of guilt hit me. "Fine. I promise." And that was when they had made the kill. With triumphant smirks, they had high-fived each other, ignoring me as I had curled up on Jasper's bed to wallow in my grief.

"Hello? Earth to Bella!" I groaned again as Rose started bouncing on my bed. "C'mon, Bella, we've got to get you ready!" I let loose a tremendous sigh before forcing myself to sit up and face my sister.

"Ok, ok. Let's get this over with."

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you enjoyed that and I would greatly appreciate any feedback. I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can!


	2. Lost in the Mail

**Summary: **In a modern twist of Romeo&Juliet, Edward, Bella and their feuding families fight to overcome deeply set prejudices against one another in hope of finding love, friendship and forgiveness. AU, AH, E/B, J/A, EM/R.

**A/N: **I noticed in this chapter that Alice and Edward are kind of OOC, but I'll be sure to ease them into their normal characteristics soon. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight, it's characters or the plot of Romeo and Juliet.

* * *

.

.

**Chapter 2: Lost In the Mail**

**Edward POV**

.

.

I pulled open the fridge, shivering slightly as the cool air blew against my exposed skin. Reaching in quickly, I pulled out the carton of milk and slammed the door shut before any more cold air seeped out. Opening the carton, I leaned against the island in the kitchen and took a large gulp.

"Ew, Edward, other people use that milk too, you know?" I rolled my eyes at the chiding female voice and ignored her, continuing my rather refreshing drink. "And put some clothes on for Pete's sake! It's 4 o'clock in the afternoon! _I'm_ not allowed to go parading around in my underwear so I don't see why you and Emmett can!"

I pulled the empty carton from my lips, burping loudly before throwing it into the recycling bin under the sink. My little sister glared at me from the kitchen table, muttering "pig" under her breath darkly while flipping the page of her magazine.

In retaliation, I swung around the island, leaning down and sweeping her small form into a tight hug. Ignoring her shrieks of protest, I promptly smeared my milk mustache along her cheek and darted away before she could react.

"Edward, you are _disgusting_," she snapped unhappily, wiping away the incriminating milk with a napkin. She glared at the soiled napkin in revulsion before balling it up and flinging it at me. I chuckled as it fell to the floor halfway there, rolling uselessly to a stop.

"Nice shot, Alice," I commented dryly, scooping up the napkin-ball and throwing it effortlessly into the trashcan across the kitchen. I grinned triumphantly at her and she made a face before turning grouchily back to her magazine.

Somewhat surprised at her uncharacteristic moodiness, I pulled back the chair beside her and plopped down. Nudging her playfully with my shoulder, I answered her glower with a reassuring smile, trying to convey that I was here for her.

I waited a few minutes in silence and was rewarded when Alice sighed heavily, throwing her magazine onto the table and crossing her arms over her chest like a pouting child.

"The Swans are having a party today," she muttered quietly. I raised an eyebrow in surprise before wrinkling my nose in distaste.

"So? You've never cared what the _Swans_ did before," I practically spat the word out and was startled when Alice rounded on me in anger.

"No! It was _you_ and _Emmett _who didn't care what the Swans did before! _I_ had nothing to do with whatever happened between our grandparents however many years ago! How come _I'm_ the one who has to suffer?" The anger flowed off of her face and was replaced with sadness and longing. I reached out and placed my hand on her shoulder, rubbing lightly in a hopefully comforting way.

"Look, Alice," I began softly, watching as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "I know you have nothing to do with them and I'd really like it if it stayed that way. They're not good people to hang around."

She looked up sharply, a frown on her face. "How do you know, Edward? Isabella Swan goes to my school and she doesn't _seem_ like a selfish, manipulative whore like you and Emmett think. Quite the opposite, actually."

I smiled sadly and shook my head at her naivete. Sometimes I wished I could shield her from the evils of the world and keep her safe in blissful ignorance.

"'Seem' being the keyword. Alice, not everyone is who they might pretend to be. Isabe-"

"Have you ever met her?" Her words cut me off, making my mouth shut with an audible snap. I blinked in silence for a moment as she stared up at me with shockingly deep eyes.

"No," I answered slowly, seeing a spark of triumph flashed across my sister's pixie-like face. "But I've met her older brother and sister. They're devious, rude and downright nasty people."

Alice rolled her eyes, snorting through her nose. "You're just prejudiced, Edward."

I frowned at the accusation.

"Am not!" I argued rather childishly. "You should've seen the stuff they did to me and Emmett!"

She smirked this time, raising an eyebrow questioningly. "Was it provoked or unprovoked?" I fell silent and she grinned in victory. "See. You and Emmett probably _started _it."

I refused to admit to it and quickly changed subjects.

"So why were you so upset about them having a party, anyway?"

Her eyes darkened with the reminder and she frowned unhappily. I felt a twinge of guilt for bringing back her source of unhappiness but ignored it.

"Everyone in our grade was invited. The Nerds, the Jocks, even some underclassmen! Everyone was invited besides me." She was pouting again and I hid a smirk at how childish she could act sometimes.

"See. Told you she was a selfish, manipulative whore." I smiled innocently when she scowled at me.

"Actually, it was her sister who did the invitations. Apparently mailed them all with fancy stationary and everything!"

I "hmm"ed speculatively. "Isn't she a bit young to be getting married? I mean she's what, 19? People only do that kind of stuff for weddings, right?"

I was pleased when a smile flitted across her face. "She's 18. The party is for her 18th birthday, though even_ I'm_ surprised they went through such lengths for a birthday party."

I nodded in agreement. It did seem a bit fancy in a small town like Forks. I should've figured that they were stuck up too.

"In any case, I'm sure the party's gonna be as boring as watching paint peel," I joked, grinning at her. "Don't worry about it, Alice, you probably wouldn't have had fun anyway."

"It still kinda hurts," Alice continued in a small voice, tracing an invisible pattern on the table. "I mean, I've never done anything to them. How come they hate me?"

Hearing the self doubt and hurt in my baby sister's voice made my heart catch and my blood boil. Standing up abruptly, I ran a hand through my messy bronze hair before making a decision.

"Alice, go get dressed. We've got a party to go to."

Alice looked up at me, eyebrow quirked questioningly.

"We don't have an invitation, Edward."

I scoffed, smirking lopsidedly. "I'm sure our invitation just got lost in the mail."

* * *

I slid my silver Volvo carefully into a parking spot behind an Audi a block away from the Swan house; I didn't want our presence to be detected just yet. I pulled the gear into park and cut the ignition, throwing the street into darkness lit only by the faint glow of the streetlights littered along the street. The clouds were dark and heavy tonight, as they usually were in Forks, and the stars and moon were impossible to spot through the thick veil. For once, I was grateful for that fact.

Turning to the bear of a person sitting in the passenger seat, I shot my older brother a mischievous smirk which he returned.

"We haven't done this in _years_," he whispered eagerly, rubbing the palms of his hands together in excitement.

I heard a "Hmph" from the backseat and sighed in mild exasperation. Emmett rolled his eyes and twisted his huge form around to face our pouting sister.

"Alice, this was _your_ idea so stop sulking and get ready to have some fun!"

Alice gasped in outrage, kicking the back of Emmett's seat hard enough to make me wince. I hated it when my siblings abused my poor baby…

"I did _not_ come up with this idea!" she hissed angrily. "I just wanted to go to the party, not participate in some lame, childish prank!"

I frowned, opening my mouth to defend my idea.

"I resent that! It's neither _lame_ nor _childish_. And it's not a prank. It's a birthday present for _dear_ Isabella Swan, expressing just how we feel about her." I swung around in my seat, a mock expression of disapproval plastered on my face. "It would be _extremely_ rude to come empty handed to a birthday party, Alice."

She rolled her eyes at my tone and snapped open the car door. Stepping out onto the sidewalk, she slammed the door shut and quickly smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles on her pleated skirt. She was dressed rather nicely in a light blue, ruffled v-neck shirt paired with a simple black mini-skirt that was pleated on the sides. I hoped that she wouldn't draw too much attention to herself because Emmett and I would be too busy with other things to keep the horny boys off of her.

I stepped out of the car and I heard Emmett do the same as I rounded over to the trunk. He must have realized the same thing I had 'cause he was watching her critically when I looked up.

"Alice, you were supposed to dress inconspicuously! The Swans will recognize you in a second, you know?"

"This was the _least_ conspicuous thing I had that would be acceptable to wear at a party," she retorted, shivering lightly in the cool September air. "Now will you two hurry up? I'm freezing!"

I grabbed the gym bag with our materials from the trunk, swinging it onto my shoulder before locking the car and turning on the alarm with a beep.

"She'll be fine, Em," I said when I saw that he was about to continue the argument; it would be a bad idea to start a scene now. "Alice is a big girl and can hold off the hordes of boys on her own." She flashed me a grateful smile as the three of us started walking towards the Swan residence. I felt kind of hypocritical, having shared Emmett's thoughts only moments before, but I knew, deep down, that Alice could take care of herself. Way, _way_ deep down.

"But the Swans will notice her right away and we won't even be able to get into the house!" he argued.

"They'll be too distracted to notice us as we slip in and by the time they see Alice, she'll already be in the midst of the party. They wouldn't dare kick her out in front of everyone."

Emmett grumbled but quieted as we approached the front door of the large, well-lit lawn, hesitating momentarily. The party was in full swing and the music blaring from the open windows practically made the ground shake. I knew that we wouldn't have any trouble slipping in since even now people were passing us and walking right into the house with barely a curious glance thrown in our direction.

Finally, Alice grew tired of standing outside and strode forward purposefully towards the door. Emmett and I followed silently, entering the house behind her without a hitch. As the three of us walked deeper into the house, I saw that the living room had been converted into a makeshift dance floor, the couches and arm chairs pushed against the walls to make room. There were people everywhere, talking (though, _how_ they were talking with the roaring music in the background, I had no idea), drinking or dancing to the loud, thrumming music.

I caught Emmett's eye and he nodded, understanding and weaving his way through the crowd and towards the stairs. I paused, grabbing onto Alice's wrist and glancing upwards subtly so that she knew I was heading up. She frowned unhappily but nodded before walking away to join the throngs of people grinding on the dance floor.

I glanced around carefully before heading over to the stairs myself. There was a rope strung in front of the staircase and a sign was taped to it with the words "Off Limits! Enter and face the wrath of Rosalie Swan!" scrawled across it in bold, permanent marker. I snorted. As if _that_ would stop anyone who really wanted to cross.

Stepping carefully over it, I bounded quickly up the stairs where Emmett was waiting for me. He pointed to the closest room and the two of us snuck in. We were practically invisible, our dark clothes making it easier to blend in with the shadows. As I closed the door behind me, the music was significantly muffled, though the beat still made the floor vibrate beneath us.

I threw the gym bag onto the ground and unzipped it, reaching in and gathering the required stuff. Emmett copied me and soon the two of us were ready to begin.

"You ready, Em?" He smirked evilly at me and I returned the favor.

"Let's lock and load!"

* * *

**A/N: **I hoped you guys enjoyed that! Please review and I'll post the next chapter up as soon as I can.


	3. Hat Whores

**Summary: **In a modern twist of Romeo&Juliet, Edward, Bella and their feuding families fight to overcome deeply set prejudices against one another in hope of finding love, friendship and forgiveness. AU, AH, E/B, J/A, EM/R.

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who read and especially for all the reviews! They really keep me going and really, they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :P If you're wondering where "hat-whore" came from, my best friend said it when she was cussing out a girl who was flirting with her boyfriend a bit too much for her liking. I swear, all I could hear was a string of obscenities ending with "boyfriend-stealing, slut-faced, hat-whore!" I couldn't stop laughing and at first I thought she meant to say "fat" whore but she assured me that it was "hat-whore" with a hyphen.

Yes, anyways, I'll stop boring you guys with needless chatter now. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Twilight, its characters and blah blah blah, we all get it now.

* * *

.

.

**Chapter 3: Hat-Whores**

**Bella POV**

.

.

I swallowed nervously as I slowly descended the stairs, gripping the banister tightly to prevent an impromptu tumble that was more than likely to occur with the three-inch spiked heels strapped to my feet. I could tell that the party had already started as laughter and loud chattering echoed from the main floor.

At the bottom of the stairs, Jasper was waiting for me with a happy smile on his face. He stretched out his arm as I came closer and I took it and stabilized myself before letting go of my death grip on the banister. He pulled me towards the living room, pausing only to retie a rope around the post of the staircase. Glancing at the sign hung on it, I snorted and rolled my eyes.

"Like _that's_ gonna work," I scoffed playfully. He grinned down at me with a quirked eyebrow.

"Oh, you underestimate the wrath of Rosalie Swan," he argued. "_You've_ never had to face it. Believe me when I say it's not a pretty thing." We both laughed and I felt myself relaxing in the presence of my brother. He stopped before we reached the living room, still shielded from sight within the hallway, and turned to me with a serious expression.

"Bella, you look beautiful tonight," he whispered proudly, causing my face to flush furiously. Jasper wasn't the complimenting type so his words made me beam with happiness and pride. I glanced down at myself and still couldn't believe that I had cleaned up so well. Rose had forced me into a royal blue, strapless cocktail dress. The bodice of the dress was wrinkled fashionably and clung tightly to my chest and stomach before flowing into a skirt with a high-low hemline that ended above my knees in the front and the middle of my calf in the back. My hair was in large, elegant curls that cascaded down to my bare shoulders, gently framing my face. Coupled with the silver, open-toed stilettos and the light makeup she had brushed onto my face, Rosalie had successfully transformed me from a frumpy, box-shaped gremlin into a surprisingly attractive young woman. Through I still didn't hold a nub of a candle to her, even on one of her _bad_ days.

"Thanks, Jaz," I murmured bashfully, craning my neck to meet his eyes; he still towered over me despite the extra three inches lent to me by my shoes. "You look pretty good yourself." Although it was more of an automatic response than an actual compliment, he _did_ look exceptionally good in black slacks and a simple, white button down shirt. The top buttons were undone, showing a hint of his chest and the top of the wifebeater he wore underneath, and his sleeves were rolled casually up to his elbows. The classic look suited him well and he added his own touch with his messily styled blond hair and twinkling blue eyes.

He merely smiled at my praise, shrugging lightly.

"Doesn't matter. _You're_ the star of tonight's show, not me."

At his words, I felt the nerves flutter back brutally, the calmness I'd achieved within my brother's comforting aura dissolving instantly. I gulped audibly as Jasper tugged me into the living room and into the attention of the guests who had gathered so far.

As I was practically dragged towards the center of the large room, people I vaguely recognized from school called out birthday wishes and cat calls which made me blush even more. Rose joined me and Jaz in front of our sound system and embraced me quickly. She was stunning in a short red dress that hugged her like a second skin, leaving very little to the imagination. Her blonde hair was wrapped up in an elaborate bun that emphasized the length and shape of her bare neck, making it impossible for her to escape the lingering stares of our guests. Looking around, I realized that Rose and I were more than slightly overdressed and started to feel even more anxious.

Before I could mention it to her, she screamed, "Let's get this party started!" and pressed a button on her iPod amid cheers of approval. Instantly, music began pounding out of the speakers surrounding the living room and I could feel the beat reverberating in my stomach. The floor shook underneath me and soon, the cleared space in front of me was completely filled with writhing bodies. To my dismay, Rosalie and Jasper had both disappeared from my side.

I was about to step away from the mass of people and look for them when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Turning around, I was met with the smiling face of Mike Newton, my partner for Phys. Ed. He was cute and kind of sweet but his over eagerness annoyed me to no end. I smiled back at him hesitantly and he opened his mouth to talk but his words were swallowed up by the blaring music.

"What?" I yelled, cupping my ear to signify that I couldn't hear him. He tried again, stepping closer this time but I still couldn't hear what he was saying. I shook my head, pointing at my ear again. This time he just pointed at me, then at himself and finally at the grinding crowd.

My face paled as I put his message together and I shook my head vigorously. There was no way I would chance going in _that_ deathtrap. I'd probably die of suffocation if I wasn't squished to death in there. I shot him a small, apologetic smile before quickly turning tail and escaping to the kitchen.

I bumped into many people on my way there and was bombarded with more birthday wishes, compliments or dance invitations. By the time I made it into the less crowded kitchen, my face was a bright red color from all the attention I was receiving. I had never been much of an attention grabber like Rose, preferring instead to remain on the sidelines and blend in with the other "just normal" people.

The kitchen counters were practically overflowing with drinks and beverages of all sorts and the sink was filled with ice. Seeing that most of the labels on the bottles screamed high alcohol levels, I prayed that no one drinking was planning on driving home tonight. I guess Charlie's influence was rubbing off on me after all.

At the thought of Charlie, I glanced down and fingered the platinum chain around my neck. It was simple, with a small white gold heart hanging from it, but I adored it nonetheless. Charlie was always awkward when it came to expressing affection, especially since Amanda's death, but I could tell that he had really put thought into this present so it meant a lot to me. His gentle smile when I had put it on before he left for Billy Black's place made this whole day, party, makeover and all, completely worth it.

I was broken out of my thoughts by a bunch of loud guys coming back into the kitchen for more drinks and decided that I should go when a few of them started watching me strangely with alcohol-dulled eyes.

I strode quickly, yet carefully, away from the kitchen and into the dining room where gifts were piled high on the table. I groaned mentally in dread at the thought of opening them all, before continuing past the packed living room and through the French doors leading to the deck out back. The doors had been flung open to keep the house from overheating with all the extra bodies in it, but it was a bit too chilly for people to wander out there.

I gratefully stepped outside and leaned against the wooden railing of the deck, sighing in pleasure as I lifted some pressure off my feet. They weren't hurting just yet (as I had only been wearing them for less than an hour) but I would still happily tear them off and burn them if I didn't know that Rose would murder me.

The music was still uncomfortably loud out here, but it was much more tolerable. I wondered vaguely if we were disturbing the neighbors, and if they would bother to call the police. How funny would it be if the police came pounding at _Chief Swan's_ door to tell his partying kids to keep it down?

I giggled out loud at the mental image but froze as a large, distinctly _male_, form settled down beside me.

"What's so funny?" I immediately relaxed as the familiar husky voice reached my ears, a small, affectionate smile creeping onto my lips.

"Jake!" I all but launched myself at him and wasn't disappointed when he easily caught me in his burly arms before enveloping me in a rib-cracking hug. "I thought you couldn't come!"

He loosened his arms around me just enough so that I could see his face but kept me tightly within his grip. In the darkness, I could only make out his coal black eyes that shimmered happily and the flash of white from his teeth as he grinned.

"I'm not _supposed_ to be here but I managed to sneak out to surprise you," he answered softly, stroking my hair gently with a gargantuan hand. "You didn't think I'd miss your birthday, did you?"

I giggled sheepishly.

"Well, with Sam's ridiculous authority over you, I figured I'd lost you to the dark side."

Instantly, Jake stiffened defensively at my words. "Bella, Sam's just trying to prepare us for what it's like out there. He's a _great_ guy."

I rolled my eyes; we had argued over this numerous times before. I thought that Sam was way too controlling and Jake practically worshipped the ground he walked upon. Jacob was currently in the Reserves and Sam was the commanding officer who was in charge of the Forks Reserves Branch.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. When are you planning on announcing the wedding?" I joked.

Jacob continued to frown unhappily for a second before sighing and relaxing, letting go of me to lean against the railing in the exact spot I was minutes before. I was suddenly cold without his warmth and I rubbed at my bare arms in hopes of regaining some heat.

"Ha, ha, real funny, Swan," he retorted quietly, not really putting any effort in our usual banter. He paused for a moment, before continuing hesitantly. "He really misses Emily. He pretends he doesn't and hides it really well but I know that it's killing him to be so far from her for so long."

I didn't reply, not really knowing what to say. We stayed in silence (well, besides the booming music behind us) for an undetermined amount of time, him sulking noiselessly and me trying to think of something to say.

Abruptly, he turned to look at me, making me jump. He reached for me and automatically I stepped closer towards him, somewhat confused. He clasped my right wrist with both of his hands, and fiddled with something before pulling back, a strange expression on his face. I pulled my wrist up to my face to see what he had put there but couldn't focus on it in the dark. Huffing in mild annoyance, I walked into the light streaming from the house and tried again, letting loose a gasp that sounded bizarrely in stereo to my ears. I glanced towards Jacob where the other gasp had come from but quickly turned back to the delicate bracelet on my wrist.

Hanging from a small silver chain was a tiny, hand-carved wolf, head thrown back as it howled to its imaginary moon. I was amazed that Jacob, with his huge, clumsy looking hands, could carve out something so small and delicate. I looked up, seeing that he was now standing in the light with me, and smiled in awe.

"Jacob, you shouldn't have," I whispered reverently, clutching the bracelet to my chest. He smiled and pulled me back into his arms, kissing the top of my head softly.

"I don't care, I wanted to," he murmured into my hair. "Happy birthday, Bella."

I laughed weakly.

"Thank you, Jake. It's beautiful."

He drew back, looking at me seriously while brushing my hair behind my ear. His fingers lingered on my cheek and I fought a blush at his gentle touch.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you tonight, Isabella Swan." I could hear the tenderness in his voice and I lost the battle, blushing furiously at his words. "Will you dance with me?"

I froze at his question, my eyes automatically darting to the dance floor inside with dread and fear. Seeing my expression, he laughed heartily, his face lighting up in his mirth. Still chuckling lightly, he tugged my hands so that they were draped loosely around his neck, though he had to bend a little since he was so tall, and wrapped his arms around my waist.

We swayed slowly to and fro, laughing since we were completely off beat from the pulsating music screaming from the speakers. We joked and teased as we continued to dance and I lost track of the number of songs that had passed. I was having a good time, away from the actual party being held in my name, and couldn't help feeling saddened when the melody of a cell phone chimed noisily. Jacob fumbled at his pockets for the bloody contraption and pulled it out, groaning loudly as he read the caller-id screen.

"Busted?" I asked.

"Busted," he confirmed, flipping the phone open and walking away to talk in privacy. I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling the cold encompassing me as I tried not to listen to Jake arguing with the person on the other line. Finally, he ended the conversation with a curt word and snapped the phone closed before returning to me. I could see the defeat and regret on his face and smiled sadly, fighting to keep the disappointment from showing.

"Sorry, Bells, I've got to go," he muttered apologetically. I nodded, not meeting his eyes. He sighed before sweeping me back into a tight embrace. I squeezed back but released him and stepped away. He had already gotten into trouble for coming here and I didn't want it to get any worse.

"It's okay, Jake, I understand. Thanks for coming and for the present." I kept my voice light and even managed to tack on a genuine smile at the end.

He returned my smile with a forlorn one before dipping down and kissing my cheek lightly, his lips hot against my skin. I blushed brightly again and he chuckled softly.

"Happy birthday, Bella. I'll come back as soon as I can."

I nodded again, bashfully whispering, "Bye, Jake."

He flashed me one last smile and winked before walking away and disappearing into the crowd.

I stood there silently for a while before the cold and loneliness forced me inside. The party was still raging on and I was debating on just running upstairs and calling it a night when I bumped into Rose in the dining room.

"Bella! You wouldn't dare be thinking of going to hide upstairs, would you?" Damn Rosalie and her annoying ability to know what I was thinking.

"No," I lied, making my eyes go wide in feigned surprise. "Why would I do that?"

She snorted disbelievingly.

"You are a terrible liar, Isabella Swan!" Her face shifted into a sly smirk and I gulped in slight fear. "I saw you with _Jacob_ on the deck before."

I reddened but shrugged nonchalantly. "So?"

"_So_," she practically purred. "You guys were getting pretty cozy, weren't you? You were dancing pretty intimately if you asked me."

I rolled my eyes, and nudged her playfully. "Oh, stop it! Me and Jake have been friends for forever, it's not like that!"

"Suuure," she drawled doubtfully. "Whatever you say, Bells."

My answer was cut off as an arm draped around both mine and Rosalie's shoulders, causing us to jump in surprise.

"Hello, ladies," slurred a drunk blond as he leaned heavily on us. He looked familiar and I studied his flushed face for a minute before it hit me. Tyler Crowley. He sat two rows over in Biology and had a habit of falling asleep in class. "Wanna come join me upstairs?"

Rose looked like she had swallowed a bug and I fought back my laughter at her expression. Quickly, she shrugged his arm off her shoulder, causing him to rest all his weight on me. My balance, already precarious as it was with my heels, completely disappeared at the sudden increase in weight and I collapsed. I fell painfully onto my back, the wind getting knocked out of my lungs as Tyler landed heavily on top of me.

I heard him moan in pain from hitting his head against the corner of the table (which I had miraculously missed) before slumping into unconsciousness.

"Rose, help!" I grunted out, my lungs still not able to fill fully with the weight on my chest. I pushed at his form while she yanked at his shoulders but it did little more than flop his arms around. I could hear Rose calling for Jasper and mentally scoffed. As if he would be able to hear her with the pounding music in the background.

Magically, he appeared at our side moments later, an angry expression on his face as he took in the sight of Tyler on top of my prone form.

"Jasper, help now, yell later," I wheezed and instantly he reached down and pulled Tyler off effortlessly. I would've been envious of his strength if I wasn't too busy gasping for air.

"What the hell was this shit-faced hat-whore doing to you," Jasper demanded furiously, gesturing angrily at the boy he was now supporting with one arm. Rosalie looked up guiltily from where she was checking on me and opened her mouth to explain.

I cut her off quickly. "I'm clumsy. He fell with me and hit his head. End of story, now what's a hat-whore?"

Jasper shrugged at my question and turned to Rose for the full story. As she finished up, Tyler let out a loud groan and clutched his head. Jasper glared at him in disgust but sighed in resignation and draped one of Tyler's arms around his neck to better support him.

"I'll take this hat-whore outside for some air," he muttered darkly before dragging the moaning boy out to the deck.

"You gonna be okay?" she asked me concernedly, checking me over for bruises. I nodded and fought the urge to roll my eyes. "'Kay, then I'll go with them and make sure Jasper doesn't suffocate him to death or something."

I laughed and she waved before following them outside. And once again, I was all alone. Deciding that I would risk the chaos, I slipped into the living room and edged along the wall, watching the dancers with a mix of disgust and awe. How someone could just grind against strangers and not care that sweat and god knows what else was being smeared into their skin baffled me. Maybe I was just jealous that I would never be able to move as graceful and carefree as they did, but I wanted them to just leave and take their dance orgy somewhere else.

I sighed tiredly and stepped away from the wall to head into the kitchen for a glass of something to drink; the heat in the room was making my throat dry.

As I looked away from the pulsating mass of people, my eyes met with the deepest color of emerald green I'd ever seen. I gasped as I realized that the beautiful green shade was actually a pair of eyes that were staring unblinkingly back at me and I felt my heart pounding in my throat. I had to remind myself to breathe as the eyes continued to bore into me, pulling my soul apart and examining it extensively with their penetrating gaze. And then the next thing I knew, those glowing eyes were heading towards me.

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll put up the next one soon! Bella's dress and the layout of the Swan House can be found on my profile. Oh and a reminder, this is an EDWARD/BELLA story. NO, Jacob and Bella will NOT end up together. He's just there for the plot. And well, I kinda have a soft spot for him to be honest.

I decided that I was going to send out teasers of the next chapter as an incentive to review (yes, I'm a review whore) so if you want one, say so when you review! You have to be signed in, though, otherwise I won't be able to send you one. Thanks again for reading and please, please review!


	4. Mr Sinfully Handsome

**Summary: **In a modern twist of Romeo&Juliet, Edward, Bella and their feuding families fight to overcome deeply set prejudices against one another in hope of finding love, friendship and forgiveness. AU, AH, E/B, J/A, EM/R.

**A/N:** Yeah so thanks to all of you who read and reviewed, I really appreciate it. So in this chapter, we finally see some interaction between Edward and Bella (YAY!). Those of you who want to know what happens with the pranks, well you'll find out NEXT chapter :P Sorry, but it's important that I get this part down before I start with the pranks.

I'm going to be honest with you all and say that I'm a bit disappointed with the outcome of this story, review-wise. I know that I should be posting this not for reviews and more for myself, but I still can't help but feel a little sad. I'm not saying that I'm going to stop writing, I just won't feel as motivated to write as often or as much. I'm also writing another story at the same time and that one's getting more reviews so I feel as if I should continue with that story as my priority. Anyways, enough of me moping, go on and read! I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own Twilight, its characters or Taylor Swift's song _Love Story_.

* * *

.

.

**Chapter 4: Mr. Sinfully Handsome  
**

**Edward POV**

.

.

"We better wrap this up before someone decides to check up here," Emmett warned, walking out of one of the rooms and closing the door firmly behind him. I nodded in agreement and quickly placed the finishing touches in the bathroom before cleaning up any incriminating evidence carefully.

Flicking off the lights, I joined Em in the hallway where we proceeded to peel off our latex gloves and throw them into the gym bag for later disposal. Ok, maybe we were being overly cautious—especially since the Swans would definitely know it was us—but it was fun to glam things up a little.

"Let's go." I started down the stairs and Emmett followed, swinging the gym bag over his broad shoulder. At the base of the stairs, I glanced down the short hall to make sure the coast was clear before stepping over the useless rope and trotting towards the crowded living room. I was surprised that the dark hall was void of horny, drunk couples looking for a "private" place to make out but figured it was better not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

A thunderous crash behind me almost made me scream in frustration; we were so close to making it out with no problems. Being openly responsible for one's pranks was all fine and dandy, but being caught in the act was a completely different matter. I swallowed my irritation—now was not the time—and settled for pinching the bridge of my nose instead. Whirling around, I glared at Emmett who had the grace to look sheepish as he got up from where he was sprawled out on the ground from tripping over the rope.

'Sorry,' he mouthed, seeing as how we were back on the main floor with the deafening music pounding in our ears. I was just glad that it had covered up my brother's mishap. I sighed but shrugged to show that he was forgiven, tossing him my car keys in the process.

'I'll get Alice.' I pointed at myself and then at the living room, moving my lips exaggeratedly so that he would be able to read them. 'Meet us at the car.'

We parted ways and I waded through the sea of people, keeping my face lowered slightly in case a Swan was on the look out. As I approached the dance floor where I had last seen Alice, I cringed at just how closely bonded the dancers seemed to be. There was no way I was going to risk going near the dance floor, baby sister or not. I would probably die of asphyxiation if I got sucked into that hellhole.

Decision made, I stood at a safe distance and attempted the very hard task of singling out a short, dark-haired runt from the writhing crowd that looked more like a single entity than anything else. At least she had listened when we told her to blend in.

My eyes ran over the mass of people but caught and locked involuntarily on a flash of blue. A girl was leaning against the wall by herself, watching the dancers as I had been with a somewhat bitter expression on her face. She was dressed too elegantly, standing in a room filled with jeans and miniskirts, but it suited her well. She was pretty in a classical sense—pale skin, long brown hair, full, pouty lips—but there was nothing extraordinary about her. I was about to shrug her off and continue the search for my elusive sister, but she turned abruptly and her gaze met mine.

I felt the bottom of my stomach drop down to somewhere near my feet, my breath catching in my throat and my heart galloping 90 miles an hour as I looked into the most expressive pair of eyes I'd ever seen. They were a warm chocolate in tint, melting in their intensity and opened wide in vulnerability. In that moment, I was able to practically look into their depths and read her very soul; see and feel all her emotions and thoughts as she did. Before I knew what I was doing, I was moving towards her and her captivating innocence, feeling the perverse desire to capture her and keep her for my own.

Soon, I was in front of her, our mesmerizing stare unwavering in its concentration. But then she blinked, and something shifted. Her once open windows were now slammed shut and I couldn't help but feel a tang of sorrow at the guarded eyes that gazed back at me. Despite the loss, I was surprised that I was no less entranced by her. I had been wrong before; now up close, I could see that there was absolutely nothing _ordinary_ about her. The way her creamy skin on her bare neck and shoulders seemed to glow in the dim lights, or the way her cheeks were stained an endearingly soft crimson, or even the way her tiny, delicate hands toyed nervously with the material of her dress as we continued to stand in silence. It all fascinated me in a way that no other person or thing had ever done in the past. She was beautiful, radiant even, and I wanted nothing more than to worship her and devote my very life, my very _being_ to her.

Unexpectedly, someone stumbled past me from behind, jostling me and breaking the spell. I steadied myself, both physically and mentally, by bracing my arm against the wall over her left shoulder, noticing at the same time just how small she was, compared to me. In this position, I almost felt like I was shielding her from the evils and horrors of the world, and I couldn't deny that I liked that thought more than I should.

Looking down, I saw that her blush had intensified at my proximity and I reluctantly retracted my arm, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

"Sorry," I said apologetically. She smiled in return and I felt my insides flop a bit. Why was this girl affecting me so much?

"So," I continued when she didn't say anything. "What are you doing here, standing alone on the sidelines? Are you wait—" I stopped when she suddenly started shaking her head, the smile still on her face. I stared at her questioningly until she pointed at her ear, shrugging and shaking her head again. Oh. Right. She couldn't hear me.

How idiotic I felt must have shown on my face because she laughed silently, the sound swallowed by the music, and grabbed onto my wrist before tugging me off through the swarm of people.

A hot, electric current rushed through my veins at her touch, starting from her slender fingers wrapped around my wrist and racing up my arm, past my shoulder and down my spine where waves of small tremors echoed out to the rest of my body. My eyes were glued steadfastly to our linked hands, and I was lucky that she was leading me else wise I would've bumped into or tipped over something by now.

Suddenly, she stopped and I raised my eyes to see that we were standing in a significantly quieter bedroom. I felt a wave of confusion wash over me; I didn't recognize this room at all, and I was sure that me and Em had gotten all the bedrooms covered. The floor was carpeted—unlike all the other rooms which had hardwood floors—and the décor was rather bland and generic, empty and unlived in. Where exactly were we?

"Oh, the walls are soundproofed." The soft, musical voice made my eyes jump back to her face and I was immediately drawn in again. "I guess it was meant to be a music room or something."

She had obviously misread my confusion but I wasn't going to tell her that. "Ok, good," I joked with feigned relief. "For a second there, I thought we had stepped through a wormhole and into another dimension. That, or I had finally gone deaf after all that loud music."

She laughed and I felt my heart lurch within my chest. Her laugh was like the gentle chiming of bells but with an angelic tone that made it the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard. Oh, God, where did all these thoughts _come_ from?

Our hands were still connected and I shifted so that my hand cradled her much smaller one. I could see the blush resurface on her face and I longed dreadfully to reach out and trace it across her cheeks, down her elegant neck, past her well-shaped collarbones and straight to her dress line where it disappeared under the folds of blue material.

To my immense pleasure, she didn't pull back like I had expected her to, but instead tightened her grip before pulling me over to the bed. My heart began thumping wildly again at the implication, and I felt desire and lust flood me in an instant. But then, she sat down on the edge of the bed and looked up at me innocently, a soft smile tilting up the corners of her lips.

Of course. A girl like her wouldn't throw herself at a man she barely knew. I was oddly pleased by it, although a hint of disappointment was definitely present, and I felt my own smile creep across my face to match hers. I joined her on the bed, sitting far enough to not actually be touching—besides our still clasped hands that is—yet close enough to feel the heat radiating off her body.

"I'm honestly surprised that this room wasn't already occupied with a bunch of drunk, horny people looking for a private place to 'get to know each other'," she said suddenly, her smile turning wry as she spoke. The words sounded strangely familiar but I shrugged off the feeling.

"Yeah, well, now _we_ have the room all to ourselves and we could definitely use it to _get to know each other_." Her face flushed red again at the insinuation and she fidgeted uncomfortably so I grinned to let her know I was joking. "So, do you have a name?"

"Nah, they kinda just point at me and say 'You, there!'" she quipped, her chocolate eyes dancing playfully. "How 'bout you?"

I chuckled at her words. Oh, it had been too long since I had talked to a girl outside my family who had some semblance of wit; most of the bimbos who threw themselves at me were brainless wonders with too tight clothing and alarmingly large breasts. To finally find one who actually knew the meaning of sarcasm was so satisfyingly refreshing.

"Yeah, but if I told you, I'd have to kill you." We both laughed heartily at the corny line and I felt that I could happily die here, laughing beside a wonderfully gorgeous woman who made my very blood sing when in her presence.

"Bella," she finally said as our laughter dwindled, wiping at a tear of mirth from the corner of her eye.

"Edward," I replied, the wide grin on my face impossible to contain. She tugged our attached hands onto her lap and I jumped: I had almost forgotten about that. She pulled gently out of my grasp and then proceeded to fiddle with my hand with both of hers. I watched as her fingers ran softly across my palm, tracing the lines with feather-light touches that sent shivers up and down my spine.

"Did you like the party?" Her words caused me to look up into her eyes and I realized belatedly that I had been leaning down closer towards her. I forced my muddled brain to come up with a response, but it was exceedingly difficult with her intoxicating floral smell drifting around me. To make it worse, her fingers continued to move on my sensitive palm and her deep eyes were once again pulling me under. I had never been this affected by a girl before, and I felt a mix of exhilaration and fear.

"I suppose," I managed to stutter out cryptically. "I had a few things to take care of so I only recently joined in the partying." She nodded in understanding. "And you?"

She shrugged, glancing down to our hands on her lap. "My brother and sister coerced me into this," she explained, a small frown marring her face. "But I have to admit, it was worth it in the end." She met my eyes pointedly and I felt my heart thudding in my chest.

"Oh?" I said lightly in a poor attempt to conceal my excitement. "What exactly made it worth it?"

She grinned, playing along. "Well, I bumped into a sinfully handsome man and we slipped into an empty, soundproofed room where we proceeded to get to know each other."

"'Sinfully handsome'?" I arched an eyebrow questioningly, fighting to keep the pleasure from showing on my face. She thought I was handsome?

She turned crimson but continued flippantly. "Yeah. He was about your height, with blond hair and the most 'to-die-for' blue eyes I'd ever seen."

I froze. 'Blond hair'? 'Blue eyes'? Huh? Then I saw the mischievous smirk on her face and relaxed. That little minx!

"Really?" I bluffed. "Well, I wouldn't want to ruin your night. Perhaps I should go so that you can spend the rest of your time with him." I started to get up but her grip on my hand tightened and she practically yanked me back down.

"Wait, don't go!" she pleaded, eyes widened in worry. I flashed her a crooked smirk as I settled back beside her, closer this time though, and she calmed. Needless to say, my male ego swelled at her reaction.

"But what about Mr. Sinfully Handsome?" She rolled her eyes at my words.

"You know very well that I was talking about you," she drawled before pausing and blushing furiously again as she realized what she had just said. I laughed at her mortified expression and used my free hand to brush my knuckles against her heated cheek.

"Don't worry," I murmured huskily. "I think _you're_ pretty ravishing yourself." I heard her gasp softly and turned my hand so that it cupped her face before leaning down towards her lips. I kept my eyes locked with hers and moved slowly enough that she had room to push me away if she wanted to, but I was more than ecstatic when she just closed her eyes and tilted her head closer to me.

Our lips had barely brushed when a shock coursed through me violently, making me jump back in surprise. At first, I thought it was caused by our kiss—you know, the stereotypical "first kiss electrical current" crap—but the shocks continued and I realized it was my phone vibrating in my pocket.

I cursed loudly and pulled it out, shooting her an apologetic look as I slid it open. Her fingers were pressed against her lips and she was staring at me in embarrassment, surprise and what looked like a hint of frustration. The frustration was something I completely understood as I whipped my silver phone to my ear.

"What?" I barked, hoping to convey that I was busy to the person who had interrupted at the worst possible moment.

"Where the hell _are_ you guys?" The booming voice on the other end made me flinch. Crap, I had completely forgotten about Alice and Emmett. "I've been waiting here for almost an hour, what's taking you?"

"We'll be out in five," I muttered, hanging up before he had a chance to respond. I sighed in resignation as I pocketed my phone, glancing up at Bella who continued to watch me silently. I really, _really_ didn't want to leave, but I knew I had no choice.

"Look, I really hate to do this but—" She cut me off, a sad, understanding smile on her face.

"No, no, I understand. You have a life that you have to attend to, just like everyone else," she said calmly, though I could detect a hint of bitterness in her voice. I wanted to reach out and sweep her into my arms, kissing away the sadness and unhappiness that she felt, but I didn't. If I did, I'd never be able to bring myself to leave her.

"Maybe we can do this again, sometime?" I asked hopefully.

Her smile brightened and I felt relief flow through me; at least I knew she wanted to see me again.

"I'd like that very much." She released my hand for the first time since she grabbed onto it, and I immediately felt a keening sense of loss. I forced myself to stand up and walk to the door, hesitating only for a moment to say goodbye.

"Bye, Bella."

"See you, Edward."

I turned the knob and walked quickly into the blaring music, knowing that I had to get out of there fast before my resolve crumbled completely. It was much easier to find Alice this time—since she was roaming around looking for me or Emmett—and the both of us were out of the house and driving away in less than ten minutes.

It was only when I was pulling into our driveway, amid incessant questions from Emmett and Alice, that I realized I had absolutely no way at all of contacting Bella.

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, so Edward doesn't realize that Bella is "Isabella Swan" (let's say he's too dazzled by her to think clearly) and Bella barely knows about the Cullens so she doesn't realize that Edward is a Cullen. Despite the very small town of Forks. :P I hoped you guys enjoyed and if you want a preview of the next chapter, say so in a review and I'll send you one! Thanks, and PLEASE review, if only for the sake of my happiness :P


	5. Trashy, PaperBacked Romance Novels

**Summary: **In a modern twist of Romeo&Juliet, Edward, Bella and their feuding families fight to overcome deeply set prejudices against one another in hope of finding love, friendship and forgiveness. AU, AH, E/B, J/A, EM/R.

**A/N:** Alright, so I wasn't planning on posting until next week, but I figured that I should reward you guys for reviewing so much by working hard and having it ready for today! :D Which also happens to be my birthday so yay! Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing, you have truly motivated me a lot. And believe me when I say a LOT :P

I'm surprised that only 2 people asked for previews last time, and I'm going to remind you guys that you can get a preview of the next chapter if you want, just leave me a signed review specifying that you want one, and I will be sure to send you one asap!

Ok, so this is the much anticipated chapter where you find out the pranks that Edward and Emmett set up. It's longer than my other chapters also, cuz I had to add in the part where Bella says what she thinks of Edward so I hope you guys enjoy! I didn't really edit that much for this chapter, cuz I've been kinda short on time so I'm really sorry if there are grammar/spelling mistakes!

Anyways, this is a hell of a long A/N so I'm just gonna stop talking now! Hope you guys enjoy and PLEASE review! They make me all warm inside! :D

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Twilight or any of its characters. I also don't own Taylor Swift's song, "Love Story."

* * *

.

.

**Chapter 5: Trashy, Paper-Backed Romance Novels**

**Bella POV**

.

.

It was official: I absolutely _abhorred_ cell phones.

Just my luck that when I decide my night is looking up, one of those dratted contraptions comes along to bring it crashing down. _Twice_. Jacob I was kind of expecting, to be honest; Sam had him chained like a dog to its kennel. The green-eyed Adonis, on the other hand, I was not.

I am not an easily impressed girl—I blame it on growing up with Rose who demands for nothing but the best—but this complete stranger had me dazzled with a mere glance. I was surprised at first that he had been the one to come to me, since guys like him were usually into the busty blonde types, but had somehow managed to keep my cool. Sort of. I had managed not to fall into a dead faint and/or panic and kick him in the nads at the very least.

I knew the instant our gazes locked that he was different. For one, he was actually meeting my eyes and not ogling my boobs like a lot of the guys who had approached me tonight. Then there was the fact that I was completely enraptured by him in less than a minute. I wasn't sure if it was the intensity of his stare and the way he seemed to delve through my spirit with his emerald eyes that had me trembling like a newborn fawn, but I'm positive that it played a major role of affecting me in such a way.

I don't know where my confidence came from when I led him to the downstairs guest room, though I don't regret it one bit. It was amazing how at ease I felt when I was talking to him; only Jasper, Rosalie and Jacob could make me feel that comfortable and I had been with them for _years_. In less than an hour, _Edward_ had effortlessly accomplished what took most people ages to do.

Oh, just the thought of his name makes me shiver in excitement. Urgh, I feel like one of those fickle, empty-headed heroines in trashy, paper-backed romance novels who can become aroused at a drop of a dime. But can you really blame me? Edward was the very epitome of "sexy".

Of course, his strikingly handsome features added to the factor, but that wasn't what made him downright _sexy_. His eyes were so deep and passionate; I swear he could make the coldest of bitches melt with a simple, fleeting look. Then there was his smirk. That odd, little, lopsided smile of his that had my heart pumping viciously every single time. And oh, don't get me started on his voice! It practically _dripped_ sensuality in all its soft, smooth, velvety glory as it slid from his lips—

Oh, my God! His lips! That I had kissed! Jesus, I just _kissed_ a near stranger! Granted, it was a very brief one, barely a brushing of lips, really. But it was no less electrifying! The tremors that had rocketed down my spine at the contact gave proof to that. Though, I suppose the vibrations of his cell phone played a key part in those tremors…

Which brought me full circle; cell phones were the bane of my existence.

I guess I have to be a _little_ thankful to them though, 'cause if Jacob's cell hadn't have rung then I wouldn't have met Edward. And if Edward's cell hadn't have rung, who knows how far we would've gone in our lust-filled haze?

Can you blame me if I still despise cell phones?

Shaking my head to clear it, I rose from the bed and walked out the same door Edward had only a few minutes before. He had said that he wanted to see me again, but he had left rather quickly without bothering to ask for my number or even my email. I felt my insecurities start to bubble over inside of me, but pushed them away. If anything, he knew where I lived and could contact me if he wanted to. And I will _not _be affected if he didn't.

It's not like I loved him or anything. It was just _lust_, after all, and so what if he didn't want to see me again? Life would move on and I would probably forget about him in a week or two.

I tried ineffectively to squash the little voice in the back of my head that whispered about The Nile not only being the longest river in the world.

Sighing, I let it drop for the moment.

I could tell that the party was dwindling down, evident by the much quieter music and the fact that the living room was mostly empty. Only a few stragglers remained, dancing still or passed out on the couches or against the walls.

Picking my way through the garbage that littered our floor—thank God Charlie wasn't due back 'til the day after tomorrow—I peeked out the open front door to see that Rose and Jas were ushering the people too drunk to drive into cabs or cars that were carpooling. I raised my eyebrows in surprise as I counted the taxis lining our street; I wasn't even aware that there were that many cabs in Forks.

The next hour or two were spent convincing the remaining people to leave before doing a quick, rough clean up. Since it was my birthday, Jas tried to persuade me to go to bed and leave it to them, but I would have none of that. Finally, after the last plastic cup was thrown into one of the giant garbage bags we were lugging around, we called it a night. The scrubbing and vacuuming could wait 'til tomorrow, since it was already pushing 3:30 am.

"I call bathroom first!" Rose cried loudly, rushing up the stairs in front of me and Jas. I shrugged, too tired to argue and dragged myself into my room. I fumbled along the wall for my light switch and froze as something disgustingly slimy and gooey met my fingertips.

Slowly, I pulled my fingers back and stared at the oily glob in revulsion. What. The. Hell? I carefully rubbed the substance between my fingers, fighting back the urge to gag as I sniffed it lightly. Surprisingly, the scent reminded me vaguely of baby powder or Vaseline… Wait! That's what it must've been! But why on Earth was there Vaseline smeared on my light switch??

Suddenly, a shriek pierced through the air and I whipped out of my room and to the bathroom where Rosalie's scream had come from, the Vaseline completely forgotten in panic. Jasper was beside me in seconds and pounded furiously on the door.

"Rose? What's going on?" Our only response was a string of profanities followed by the sound of the sink faucet turning on. Jasper reached down and jiggled the locked doorknob before hammering on the door again. "Rose! Open the door!"

I heard the sound of Rose's footsteps as she approached the door and jumped when she screamed again.

"What's wrong?" I called through the door, hearing the anxious worry in my voice.

"The-the doorknob's all greasy!" Rose's voice was muffled but I could still hear the slight hysteria in it.

"Don't worry, Rose, it's just Vaseline!" I reassured quickly, knowing the thoughts that were possibly running through her head now. "Open the door, please!"

The doorknob wiggled, but didn't open. "I can't!" she called back in frustration. "I can't undo the lock 'cause it's too slippery!"

"Use a towel then!"

There were sounds of her wiping the doorknob clean before the lock clicked and the door swung open. Immediately, the smell of urine hit my nose and I grimaced as I took in the sight of the very messy bathroom. The faucet was still running with bubbles building up and slowly flowing over the rim of the sink from Rose's overuse of soap and there were towels wadded up on the floor near the toilet.

"Whoa. Rose, you really need to work on your aim…"

The glower that she sent Jasper made me cringe, even though I wasn't the direct recipient. He wasn't kidding when he said her wrath was a force to be reckoned with…

"Real funny, _Jasper_," she snarled out, her icy blue eyes practically whipping daggers at Jasper's cowering form. She advanced on him and, even though he was a good few inches taller than her, she seemed to tower over him menacingly. "Jeez, how _old_ are you? _Plastic wrapping_ the toilet?!"

I gasped at Rose's words and turned my own glare on him. That was _so_ not funny! Okay, it kind of was, but in a really immature, disgusting way.

Jasper whimpered at the dual attack and raised his hands in front of his face defensively. "Wait! Wait! It wasn't _me_!"

Rose snorted loudly, rolling her eyes sarcastically. "Yeah, 'cause _Bella_ did it!"

I wasn't sure if I should be offended or proud of the complete disbelief on her face but was distracted from further thought when Jasper pointed accusingly at me.

"Well _she_ was the one who knew it was only Vaseline on the doorknob! Why else would she know if she wasn't the one who did the whole prank to begin with?"

Rosalie turned a questioning eyebrow my way and I lifted my hand and showed them the glop of Vaseline that was still on it.

"_Someone_ smeared Vaseline all over my light switch," I said, glaring at Jasper pointedly who just opened and closed his mouth like a gasping fish.

"God, Jasper, _grow up_." Rose punctuated her growled words by slamming the door loudly in Jasper's spluttering face. Soon, the sound of the shower turning on could be heard and my brother whirled to face me.

"Bella, that was uncalled for." His words were unexpectedly sharp and I flinched at the disappointed expression on his face before frowning at him.

"_Excuse_ me?" I couldn't believe his nerve! After pulling such childish pranks, he had the _gall_ to reprimand me??

"Just because I said that Rose isn't likely to be mad at you doesn't mean that you can pull something like that, and then blame it on me," he scolded sternly and I gasped in a mixture of anger and confusion. Was he trying to trick me into getting the blame for his actions?

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Jas!" I snapped. "_You_ were the one that did that, _not_ me! Don't try and trick me with whatever you're trying to do!" I spun and stomped into my room before he could reply, shutting the door with a slam.

I flicked the lights on, ignoring the Vaseline on it and grabbed a few tissues from the box of Kleenex on my dresser. I wiped my fingers clean angrily and turned to do the same to the light switch. I wadded the used up tissues into a ball and threw it into the garbage before pulling my dress off and draping it over my computer chair to be dry cleaned later on.

I slipped my shoes off, kicking them haphazardly aside while taking off my earrings and necklace. I deposited them gently into my jewelry box and reached to unclasp Jacob's bracelet but paused. I examined the small wolf charm again and felt my anger whoosh out to be replaced by affection.

Jacob had always been there, ever since I could remember, but that was to be expected with our fathers being best friends and all. I had so many memories with Jake; running around La Push bare-footed, climbing the tallest trees we could find, riding our dirt bikes and giving Charlie heart attacks, even diving off a cliff once or twice. He had been my best friend for the longest time, and would probably always be. It was hard to imagine life without the tall, burly boy there as my best friend, supporting me no matter what crazy plan I hatched and coming along for the ride with nothing more than an excited grin.

I wondered if Edward was like that. Would he rush headlong into a badly devised scheme? Or would he wait until the plan was more refined and flawless? Together, me and Jake, with our terrible way of ill-planning, wreaked havoc on the poor people of Forks and La Push, and had gotten into our fair share of trouble for it. I think I needed someone that could rein me back, keep me from sprinting off and falling flat on my face. Someone who would be there to catch me when I sprinted anyways, instead of being too busy sprinting himself. Someone with brilliant bronze hair, smoldering emerald eyes, sexy, sensual lips…

I shook my head viciously and pinched myself for good measure. I couldn't believe that I was fantasizing about him again while standing in the middle of my room in nothing but my underwear.

I strode across the room to my dresser and purposefully yanked open my pajama drawer only to pause in surprise and confusion. Staring back at me were all my jeans, neatly folded the way I had left them, except three drawers higher than they should be. I closed the drawer slowly and bent down to pull open the one that usually housed my jeans and was met with a bunch of shoes.

Okay, Jasper was taking it too far. When did he have time to do this anyway? I grumbled out loud and pulled open all my drawers, one by one in search of my pajamas. When I had opened all of them and still couldn't find my PJ's, I let out a frustrated growl. Where the hell were my PJ's?

The drawer that usually held my underwear was stuffed with cans of what seemed to be tuna, my socks were replaced by shirts, and my shirt drawer was filled with extra sheets and towels from the linen closet.

I vaguely heard Rose leaving the bathroom and walking down the hall to her room, but was too distracted with finding my pajamas to really care. I headed to my closet and threw the door open, letting loose a small "aha!" of triumph when I saw all my flannel pajama pants hanging tidily beside my bras. Socks and panties littered the shoe racks and my skirts and dresses were folded onto the shelf that normally held my hoodies and sweaters.

I tugged down a pair of blue PJ pants with cute little penguins on them and slipped them on before heading back to my sock drawer for a white tank top.

I had just finished pulling on my shirt when I heard the sound of metal clattering to the floor followed by a loud yelp coming from Jasper's room. Jasper's room was right beside mine so the long string of profanities that came from his lips was very clearly audible to me.

I rolled my eyes and was about to call a "Whatever happened, you deserved it!" through the walls when Rosalie's voice interrupted me.

"Bella! Jasper! Come here, quick!"

For the second time in less than an hour, I rushed towards Rosalie's voice. I slipped on a random puddle of water in my hurry and almost brained myself on the wall but managed to catch myself with my arms. I glared at the offending puddle and saw that there was a rather distinctive trail coming from Jasper's room and disappearing into Rose's room across the hall.

I entered her room to see Jasper already standing there, his slacks drenched from the shin down and dripping onto the floor.

"What happened to _you_?"

He scowled at me, startling me once again. I think he had glared at me more in the past hour than he did in the past year.

"As if you didn't know," he drawled sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest. "_Someone_ turned off the heat in my room and left the window wide open so that it was _freezing_. Then, of course, when I went to get a sweater from my closet, there just _so happened_ to be a bucket of _ice cold _water leaning against it on the other side so that when I opened the door…" He trailed off, motioning at his soaked pants. His tone, though still frustrated and a bit peeved, turned somewhat curious. "How did you do that anyway? You have enough trouble just _holding _a bucket of water, let alone being dexterous enough to balance it on the inside of a closet without spilling it."

I opened my mouth to deny having anything to do with it but was once again interrupted by Rosalie.

"She didn't do it."

We both turned to look at Rose—who was wearing nothing but her bath robe—with questioning eyes then followed her pointing finger to her vanity mirror. Scrawled messily on the reflective surface was a message in bright red lipstick.

_Happy birthday, Isabella Swan!_

_We hope you liked our presents!_

_Oh, and since we missed their birthdays, _

_we thought it would be nice to send some love_

_to the rest of the Swan family as well!_

_Enjoy! :)_

_-E&E Cullen_

I heard Jasper growl angrily beside me as I absorbed the words written in Rose's favorite lipstick. _E&E Cullen_? As in the vile Cullens I had heard about from my family? With the malpractice-ing surgeon, the money-stealing realtor and their two no-good hooligan sons? _Those_ Cullens? I had never personally met them—aside from a few brief glimpses of Dr. Carlisle Cullen at the hospital—but had heard many tales from Rose and Jasper. Even a couple from Charlie, sometimes.

"Those damn _Cullens_!" Jasper snarled. "Trust _them_ to break The Agreement!"

I blinked at him in confusion. "Agreement?"

My brother was too busy grumbling furiously to himself so instead I turned to Rose for an explanation. Her lips were pursed in a taut line and her fists were clenched so tightly that I could see her knuckles turning white.

"We were twelve, and it was maybe two months or so before your seventh birthday," she began tensely, her eyes glowering at the message on her mirror. "Jas and I had biked over to the Cullens' to set up our latest prank. We filled a box with lit firecrackers and left it on their doorstep after ringing the bell. We had expected one of the boys to answer it, but their sister, who was about your age, was the one who opened the door. She saw the box and thought it was a present for her so reached into it to pull out whatever it was. She wasn't hurt too badly, but the deed had been done; her brothers wanted revenge by taking it out on you."

"Me?" I squeaked. _I_ didn't do anything!

"We got their sister, they wanted to get ours." It was Jasper who spoke this time, his tone dark with rage. "We couldn't let that happen, so we came up with The Agreement."

"With The Agreement, we would do any one thing for them, and then all pranking would cease," Rosalie continued. "But those worthless Cullens broke The Agreement!"

"And they will pay for it," Jasper murmured menacingly, his eyes narrowed. He spun around and stalked into his room, every step making a wet squelching sound on the rug in the hallway and making his former foreboding words hard to take seriously.

I turned my attention back to Rosalie and asked quietly, "What did they make you do?" Her face darkened and she frowned before shaking her head.

"Nothing." I opened my mouth to demand an answer but froze as a sudden thought came to me. A complete stranger had been in my room. Someone I didn't know had rifled through my stuff and—I blushed furiously—moved my clothes around, _including _my underwear! I felt an odd mix of embarrassment as well as rage for the breach on my privacy.

I heard Rose moving around and watched as she struggled to open her dresser. After a while of tugging furiously, she gave up with a curse and kicked at the furniture in frustration.

"What did they do, Rose?" I asked warily, hoping that she wouldn't take her anger out on me. She twirled towards me and I couldn't hold back a flinch at the expression of fury on her face.

"They _glued_ everything!" she cried, stomping her foot childishly.

"What do you mean, 'everything'?"

"I mean _everything_!" She reached over and yanked on the picture frames on her dresser and they didn't budge. Striding to her vanity, she attempted to pick up her brush, her make up, anything, only to fail miserably.

I leaned down and carefully examined the hairdryer stuck to the vanity table. After a few seconds I looked up and smiled encouragingly at my frazzled sister.

"It's only hot glue," I explained reassuringly. "Ask Jas to borrow his soldering gun and you can use that to melt the glue."

She grinned thankfully and gave me a hug before bounding into Jasper's room. Deciding that I had enough fun for tonight, I headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth before heading to bed.

As I put my toothbrush into my mouth and started brushing, I choked as a horribly obscene taste coated my tongue. I spat it out and rinsed my mouth thoroughly before picking up the tube of toothpaste. It looked exactly like the one I had been using for the past week… I braved a taste and found that it was the usual spicy peppermint… Finally, I glanced at my toothbrush and brought it up for a closer assessment.

The bristles seemed to be covered in a sugar like substance and I licked it cautiously before grimacing. Salt. And a lot of it. The mixture of salt and spicy peppermint was probably the worst thing I'd ever tasted.

With a groan of frustration, I threw my toothbrush in the garbage and walked to Jasper's room to warn him and Rose.

"Hey, Jas, don't use—" I gagged viciously as I entered Jasper's room, cutting my sentence short as I quickly covered my nose and breathed out of my mouth. Jasper was looking under his bed and turned to me with a look of disgusted aggravation on his face.

"Those stupid Cullens!" he yelled, running an annoyed hand through his blond hair before looking at the space behind his dressers.

"Why does it smell like something _died_ in here?" I gasped out.

"I'm _looking_!" he snapped before sighing and smiling at me apologetically. "Sorry, I've had a long night."

I forgave him instantly and gave him my warning about the toothbrushes before popping quickly into Rose's room to do the same. Finally, I was able to go to bed. Flicking off the lights, I climbed into bed and slipped under the sheets only to come up short. They had _short sheeted _my bed! I almost screamed in exasperation but quickly pulled off my sheets and remade my bed before sliding back in.

As I stretched out under the sheets, I could feel sleep tugging at my consciousness and plopped my head onto my pillow only to hear a loud crinkling sound. What? I sat up and stared at my pillow, poking it curiously and hearing that crinkling sound again. I took a deep breath to relax myself and reached into my pillowcase to find a multitude of candy wrappers. I emptied the pillowcase angrily before throwing it back down onto the bed and lying down again.

_Finally_, after a few minutes, I tumbled into a well needed sleep. I forgot about everything that would need to be done tomorrow and instead just embraced the darkness.

**

* * *

A/N:** I hope you guys enjoyed! If you want a preview of the next chapter, please review and tell me so! Even if you _don't_ want a preview of the next chapter, PLEASE REVIEW!! :D

So yes, how did you guys like the pranks? All of them happened to me, mostly this summer (I was a camp counselor) _especially_ the water bucket one. Campers and other counselors would prop buckets of water outside our cabin door and knock, and since all the doors opened inwards, when I answered the door, I'd have a flood of water all over my socks and floor. We learned after the first 6 or so times never to leave our belongings on the floor and to always crack open the door a bit and check if there was a bucket of water there first before answering the door. The hot gluing stuff to the dressers/tables/floor happened when I went on a week-long snowboarding trip with my friends. They thought it was funny and I was just glad that my friend had thought ahead and had also brought her soldering gun with her hot glue gun. Otherwise I would've been so angry. As it was, the soldering gun ruined some of my stuff anyways. Oh, well, I laugh about it now when I think about it :) Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! See you soon!


	6. Nothing But Boxer Briefs

**Summary: **In a modern twist of Romeo&Juliet, Edward, Bella and their feuding families fight to overcome deeply set prejudices against one another in hope of finding love, friendship and forgiveness. AU, AH, E/B, J/A, EM/R.

**A/N:** This took a lot longer to post than I expected. I just have really no time these days and I'm really sorry to all of you! I want to thank all of you who read and reviewed because honestly, if it weren't for you guys, I probably would've stopped posting by now. I'm just gonna leave this A/N short because no one really reads them anyways :P

PLEASE REVIEW! THEY MAKE ME WANT TO WRITE AND THAT'S ALWAYS A GOOD THING :D

I hope you guys enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Twilight or any of its characters. I also don't own Taylor Swift's song, "Love Story."

**

* * *

**

.

.

**Chapter 6: Nothing but Boxer-Briefs**

**Edward POV**

.

.

Okay, so I was an idiot.

I couldn't believe that I walked out of there without asking for so much as an email address. I didn't even know her full name, so it wasn't like I could search her up or anything. God, I can't believe how _stupid_ I could be!

The one time I find someone who can actually make my very blood sing and I throw it all away in the most idiotic way possible. I mean, who _forgets_ to ask for a phone number? Usually it's one of the first things that most people ask someone they're interested in. Then again, I never was 'most people'.

I sighed in frustration and pinched the bridge of my nose to calm down as I stretched out on my overlarge bed. I had spent all night and most of the morning beating myself up over my senselessness.

Ok, it's alright. I messed up, but I can fix this.

She was probably friends with Isabella Swan, since she _was_ at her birthday party. Which meant that she probably went to the same school as her. So I would just have to wait outside of their school until I saw her. Then I could ask for her number and _then_ we could restart properly.

But wait, just because she was at the party didn't mean that she was automatically friends with Isabella Swan. Why would someone as kind, caring and comforting as Bella be with someone as self-centered and superficial as _her_. Bella _had_ said that her brother and sister had forced her into coming so it would make sense if she wasn't friends with Swan and it could also be possible that she didn't go to Forks High School.

For all I knew, she could be an out of town relative that was only here for the weekend. Bella was too radiant to belong in a dreary town like Forks, really.

I felt the panic and hysteria start to engulf me and I viciously pushed it down. Why was I throwing such a big fit over some girl I just met?

Seriously, who was I kidding? I knew the answer to that before I could even form the question…

"Why am I such an idiot?" I murmured aloud, rubbing my face roughly with the palms of my hands.

"Do you want an honest answer?"

I removed my hands to see Alice leaning against the doorframe with a quirked eyebrow. Alice… Alice! She went to Forks High School too! She would know if Bella went to her school! I sat up abruptly, throwing the covers off me and striding quickly over to my little sister.

"Ugh, Edward, what did we say about clothes?" I looked down and saw that I was wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer-briefs. I shrugged; it wasn't as if Alice was new to this.

"Alice," I started sharply, watching as the mild disgust filtered out of her dark blue eyes at the urgent tone of my voice. "Do you know if a 'Bella' goes to your school?"

She didn't answer right away, choosing instead to stare at me carefully in confusion. I could feel myself twitching lightly in anticipation for her answer and fought the urge to prompt her; she would probably not answer just to spite me.

"Yeah…" she finally replied slowly, her eyes narrowed at me in confused suspicion. "She's in my Calculus class… But I thought—" She froze suddenly and her eyes widened in understanding. She fixed an intense, penetrating stare on me and I fidgeted nervously.

"What?" I muttered defensively, feeling suddenly very exposed and somewhat vulnerable.

"How exactly did you meet…Bella…?"

I shrugged carelessly, trying unsuccessfully to act nonchalant. "Oh, I bumped into her at Swan's birthday party, last night."

"Oh. I see." Something I couldn't identify shifted within Alice's eyes and a scarily conniving smirk crept slowly onto her face. "Is _she_ the reason you were acting so strange last night?"

I shrugged again, turning away so she wouldn't see the blush staining my pale cheeks. Without another word to my sister, I slipped into my bathroom and closed the door firmly behind me. Alice seemed to get the message because I could hear the sounds of her light footsteps fading down the hall.

With a sigh, I rested my head against the wood of the door, a mix of triumph, excitement and anticipation swirling within my chest.

Soon, I would be able to see her again.

* * *

I felt butterflies swarm viciously in my stomach as the sound of the shrill bell echoed around the empty courtyard, signifying the end of another school day. Almost immediately, the doors crashed open and a flow of chattering students poured out of the drab building, splitting up into small groups that headed for either the parking lot or the closest bus stop.

I ignored the curious stares sent my way and focused on scanning the crowds for the beautiful temptress that occupied most of my thoughts. I fought the urge to gag as a group of girls with way too much make-up on batted their lashes flirtatiously at me as they passed, blowing me kisses and swaying their hips excessively. I barely spared them a tight, polite smile before continuing my search.

A familiar presence appeared suddenly, leaning against my silver Volvo beside me. I glanced in their direction in acknowledgement and returned my eyes to the hordes of rowdy high school students.

"You came to pick me up today, big brother?" Alice simpered exaggeratedly, feigning happiness as she stared up at me. "I'm touched! But unfortunately for you, I'm going with Angela and a few friends to watch a movie in Port Angeles right now."

"'Unfortunate,' indeed," I murmured jokingly, rolling my eyes at her. Alice merely smiled and smacked me playfully on the arm.

"So, how come you're here anyway? Obviously, you didn't come to pick _me _up, since I have my own car…" She trailed off, gesturing at her vivid yellow Porsche a few cars to the left. "And shouldn't you be in class right now? I thought you ended late on Mondays."

"Class was cancelled," I lied, ignoring her first question. Although I was in my third year of Pre-Med and really shouldn't be skipping, I could afford to miss one or two classes every now and then. I wouldn't have been able to concentrate in class anyway.

"Mmhm," was Alice's dubious response. I didn't bother answering. She sighed loudly and pushed off the side of my car, walking away towards a group of gathering people. "Whatever, Edward. See you later!" she called over her shoulder, flashing me a bright smile. "Oh, and if you're looking for Bella, she's right there."

My head snapped around in the direction the little pixie was pointing at and my breath caught in my throat.

There she was.

Looking even more brilliant than I remembered. My memory of her really did not do her justice, and I felt winded as my ravenous eyes retraced the gentle curves of her pale face, sliding over full lips, a small, button-nose and finally her round, captivating eyes.

I saw her eyes widen in surprise as they met with mine, and her mouth dropped open in a silent gasp. I smiled tentatively and felt the butterflies erupt into a violent tornado when she returned it with a bright, pleased one.

Then she was heading towards me, weaving through the crowd swiftly. She was almost directly in front of me when she abruptly fell, seeming to trip on air. Instantaneously, I reached out and caught her before she brained herself on the pavement. She smiled meekly, her cheeks bright red in embarrassment as I pulled her upright and steadied her. I couldn't resist chuckling at her adorableness and my right hand reached up of its own volition and brushed her chocolate hair behind her ear.

We gasped simultaneously as my fingertips brushed lightly against her cheek, sending strange jolts through my body. Quickly, I pulled back and leaned against my car again to put some space between us. Her proximity was making my skin tingle and my mind cloud with desire and it probably wouldn't be very good if I jumped her right here in front of her entire school.

"Hey," I finally said breathlessly, fighting to calm down my pounding heart.

"Hey," she replied, sounding just as out of breath as I did. "Thanks for catching me."

"Anytime," I whispered honestly. "Does that happen often?"

She blushed lightly before nodding. "All the time. I swear, my feet hate me and try to kill me any chance they can get."

I laughed, feeling an unreasonable sense of joy filling my body and making me feel almost lightheaded. It was as if I was high on some drug. That's exactly what Bella was; my own personal brand of heroin.

My laughter died down but it was impossible to keep the smile off my face, and I was more than delighted to see that Bella was grinning just as brilliantly as I was.

"So, what brings you here?" she questioned curiously, fidgeting slightly with the strap of her red school bag.

My smile turned sheepish and I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. "Right. Well, I kinda forgot to ask for your number or e-mail address, on Saturday, and I really _would_ like to hang out again sometime but it's kind of hard to do that if I can't reach you and I can't believe I was so idiotic to forget to ask but I was kind of in a rather distracted state and—"

Bella's soft giggles cut off my ramble and I mentally pinched myself for being an idiot in front of her. Again.

"I was wondering about that," she admitted to me, swinging her bag so that it hung off of one shoulder and she could reach its contents. She pulled out a notebook and a pen and flipped to a blank page, rapidly scrawling on it before ripping out the page and handing it to me.

"Thanks," I grinned, ecstatic that I now had a way to reach her. I toyed with the paper in my hands, but couldn't bring myself to look away from her face. I felt dread creep into my bubble of euphoria as I realized that we would have to be parted soon but I shook it off. I had never been so enraptured by anything or anyone before and it was rather frightening that I barely knew her and was already so attached to her.

"Uh, do you need a ride home?" I blurted out, wanting to prolong my time with her.

Her eyes brightened and she opened her mouth to reply when she paused, seeming to remember something. A small frown swept onto her face and regret flooded her eyes causing a tang of disappointment to zip through me.

"Actually—"

"Bella!"

We both turned towards the loud cry, and I frowned when a spiky-haired, blond kid trotted up to us and threw his lanky arm around Bella's shoulders. I felt somewhat better when Bella shrugged off his arm and scooted closer to me, though the blond boy seemed undeterred and continued to beam excitedly at Bella. I could practically see a tail wagging furiously behind him.

"Oh. Hi, Mike."

Bella's voice all but screamed 'Get away from me!' and I stifled a snicker which she still somehow managed to catch. She sent me a glower and I forced my face to remain blank, though I could feel my lips twitching to break into a smile.

"Oh," the boy turned to me, acting as if he'd only just seen me. "Sorry, didn't see you, man." He paused and his eyes narrowed in recognition. "Hey… I know you! You graduated from here three years ago!"

Bella rolled her eyes before introducing us. "Mike, this is Edward. Edward, this is Mike."

As Bella spoke, his eyes ran over me, sizing me up, before he puffed out his chest and held out his hand. I straightened out to my full height, feeling my pride flare slightly when I stood a good four or five inches taller than him. I took his hand and shook briefly before pulling back and stepping even closer to Bella.

"Pleasure," I said shortly, winking at Bella who giggled lightly. The boy's face darkened momentarily before turning his attention back to Bella and ignoring me completely.

"Bella, you're coming tonight, right?" I heard the note of hope in his voice and tried not to begrudge him for trying; I knew how he felt.

Bella fidgeted uncomfortably but nodded hesitantly, shooting me an apologetic look. "Yeah, I promised _Angela_ I would go last week."

I didn't miss the emphasis on who she was going for. I smiled at her and nodded in understanding.

"Great! C'mon, everyone's waiting for us!" The blond bounced happily and sent me a triumphant smirk before reaching for Bella's hand. Bella smoothly dodged the attempt by sticking her hands into the pockets of her coat.

"Wait, why doesn't Edward come with us?" she asked suddenly, turning to me with pleading eyes. "Edward, do you wanna go watch—"

"Actually," the boy interrupted again, his voice cold though the smile remained plastered on his face. "We're all taking my van and there isn't enough room for anyone else."

Bella frowned. "Well, I can go with Edward in his car. I know the way to the cinema so it's not like we _have_ to take one car."

His smile faltered and he stuttered before shrugging and glaring bitterly at me. "Fine. _Edward_ can come."

Bella grinned and turned to me expectantly. I detested taking away her pleasure but I felt sorry for the poor boy who was watching us almost mournfully, looking uncannily like a kicked puppy.

I sighed internally, not believing that I was going to do this. But I would have my chance with her later so I would give the boy this one time with her. Plus, I had a feeling I wouldn't be very welcomed, anyway. Fighting every instinct in my body that was screaming at me to take the offer and flaunt my success in front of him, I opened my mouth.

"I'm sorry, but I can't," I muttered reluctantly, forcing the words passed my lips. "I would hate to encroach and I have a paper due tomorrow, anyway." I flashed Bella a sad smile. They both stared at me in surprise before he grinned happily.

"Too bad," he chirped, not even bothering to hide his glee. "Maybe next time."

I nodded absently, watching as confusion, realization then sad acceptance flickered across Bella's face. She shook her head at me in exasperated admiration as I shrugged.

"Bye, Edward," she said, a remorseful smile on her lips. "It was great seeing you again."

"Yeah," I agreed, ignoring the displeasure and regret coursing through my veins. "I'll see you soon." I waved the paper in my hands and forced a grin. She laughed lightly and waved as they walked in the same direction Alice had.

I waved one last time to her and watched with mixed feelings as she was towed away by the kid with spiky blond hair. I smirked in mild amusement at the obviously uncomfortable way she acted as the clueless boy chattered her ear off, but couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness that she was no longer in my immediate vicinity. I shrugged it off; at least now I had her number and email address.

I finally glanced down at the slip of paper in my grasp and chuckled aloud at her rather messy penmanship. I read over the numbers quickly but froze when I saw her email address.

_(isa) bella. marie. swan hotmail. com. _

I felt a numbing wave of confusion wash over me and I stared blankly at the words on the paper.

What kind of sick joke _was_ this?

Bella. Isabella Swan. Isa_bella_ Swan.

How _stupid_ could I be?

I _really _was an idiot.

* * *

**A/N:** okay, for those of you who are confused about why Edward declined the invitation, it's cuz he's a great guy and doesn't want to monopolize Bella, even though he wants to spend as much time as possible with her. Honestly, it's mostly for plot's sake but shhh! ;)

Remember, if you want a **preview of the next chapter**, review and tell me so!

I hope you guys enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW! I love you all! Thanks for reading!


	7. Horrendously Awful Special Effects

**Summary: **In a modern twist of Romeo&Juliet, Edward, Bella and their feuding families fight to overcome deeply set prejudices against one another in hope of finding love, friendship and forgiveness. AU, AH, E/B, J/A, EM/R.

**A/N:** I have no excuses. I know I'm a terrible person for making you all wait so long, please forgive me!! Anyway, it's not much but here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy!

PLEASE REVIEW!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Twilight or any of its characters. I also don't own Taylor Swift's song, "Love Story."

* * *

.

.

**Chapter 7: Horrendously Awful Special Effects**

**Bella POV**

.

.

I jumped when the final bell rang, startling me abruptly out of my current daydream starring the mesmerizing emerald eyes of a certain Edward. I sighed in annoyance at my own obsession and quickly gathered my books, stuffing them into my bag and following my fellow classmates into the crowded hall.

I seriously had to get over this infatuation. I probably wouldn't even see him again anyway. I had spent the entire day yesterday pondering the chances of him coming to see me and had rapidly come to the conclusion that it was highly unlikely. Guys like him weren't into Plain Janes like me. I would just have to be happy with the small amount of time he _did_ give me and move on.

"Bella!"

I turned around at the sound of my name and instantly stumbled over my own feet and into the back of a random underclassman. Blushing profusely, I apologized to him and sent a glare to my so-called friend who was laughing loudly at my clumsiness.

"Nice move," she chortled teasingly, flashing me her dimpled grin and brushing her too-long bangs out of her eyes.

"Says _you_," I retorted, a smile pulling at my lips as we walked together to our lockers. "So, what's up, Angela?"

"Same old, same old," she shrugged, swinging open her locker and gently slipping in her school books. I quickly unlocked mine, which was four lockers down from hers, and stuffed my texts haphazardly into it. Ignoring the mess of random papers, forgotten homework assignments and mistreated textbooks that littered the bottom, I pulled out my light coat and slipped it on before slamming the door shut.

I peeked into Angela's locker and frowned softly at how neatly organized it was. Sometimes, I wish I could be like that, though more often than not, I was too lazy to really care.

"Was there a specific movie you wanted to watch?"

I blinked in surprise at Angela's rather unexpected question.

"Huh?" was my very intelligent response.

Her smile faltered slightly and she tilted her head questioningly.

"You know, the movie we're going to see tonight? Was there one you wanted to watch in particular?" She paused, her hazel eyes narrowing suspiciously as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Or did you _forget_ that you _promised_ me you would come this time?"

Oh right! Movie!

"Of _course_ not, Angela!" I scoffed, waving my hand dismissively. "What type of friend do you take me for?" I forced a wide grin for emphasis.

She giggled and shook her head, sending her dark-brown hair billowing around her. "Oh, Bella. You're a _terrible_ liar!"

I sighed exaggeratedly, hanging my head in feigned dejection. "I know. I get it from my mom."

We shared a grin before continuing down the corridor and through the large double doors of the high school. I squinted as the bright sunlight all but blinded me, and I felt a rush of joy as I basked in the warmth of the sun that was rare here in Forks.

Walking beside Angela, I smiled, feeling content in her comfortable silence as we slowly threaded through the crowd of students. For some reason, the traffic of departing high schoolers seemed much heavier than usual today, and I found myself bumping into people more than a few times.

"Whoa. Check out the hottie by the Volvo," Angela murmured in my ear, nodding her head to our left. Automatically, I followed her gaze and felt the bottom of my stomach disappear and my mouth gape open in shock.

We stared at one another for a moment and I vaguely heard Angela saying something about meeting me by the van in a bit, which I nodded absentmindedly to, before being completely enraptured by him once again.

Edward—in all his shining glory—smiled shyly at me and I immediately returned the gesture, more than ecstatic that I was seeing him once again. As quick as I could, I weaved my way towards him, moving much more gracefully than I usually did. Until my klutziness factor kicked in of course.

Amazingly enough, he caught me before I could crack my skull open and I felt my blood practically light on fire the instant he touched me. Flushing in embarrassment, I let him steady me before smiling weakly.

Suddenly, he reached out with his elegant, long-fingered hand and tucked an errant strand of hair behind my ear before trailing lightly against my cheek. I gasped at the electrifying contact and he shifted, placing a bit of distance between us as he leaned casually against the silver Volvo.

"Hey," he breathed, his silky voice causing desire to flood my veins.

"Hey," I answered, trying to keep my composure. "Thanks for catching me."

"Anytime." I could see the sincerity shimmering in his eyes. "Does that happen often?"

"All the time," I blushed. "I swear, my feet hate me and try to kill me any chance they can get."

He threw back his head and laughed at my words while I grinned giddily at the knowledge that I could make him laugh.

"So, what brings you here?" I asked a bit nervously. I had a good guess as to why, but I didn't want to get too ahead of myself. To my immense surprise and amusement, his face adopted a sheepish expression and he began to ramble rather adorably.

"I was wondering about that," I giggled teasingly, halting his endearing spew of words. I quickly pulled out my English notebook and an old pen—praying that he wouldn't notice the thoroughly mangled end my teeth had inflicted upon the writing utensil—before scribbling my number and e-mail address hastily onto a blank page. I tore out the paper and passed it to him anxiously.

He took it with a crooked grin that made my heart flutter dangerously. Honestly, this man was going to be the death of me, I thought giddily to myself. My eyes roamed shamelessly over his god-like features again and I was very close to drifting away into a fantasy right in front of him but was interrupted by his silky voice.

"Do you need a ride home?" he asked softly with a hint of nervousness, his large hands folding and unfolding the paper absentmindedly. I mentally cheered and celebrated and was about to agree excitedly when I was reminded of my promise to Angela. Oh, of _all_ times to be forced into doing something I didn't particularly want to do…

"Actually—" I started regretfully, but was cut off by a loud call of my name. I turned around for the second time to see who had called out, carefully this time so as not to test my balance, and groaned internally at the familiar face of Mike Newton.

He bounded up to us—reminding me uncannily of an overeager puppy—and draped a highly unwanted arm around my shoulders. I shrugged it off as casually as I could and edged closer to Edward who looked torn between amusement and annoyance.

"Oh. Hi, Mike," I greeted uncomfortably, shifting uneasily under the over bright expression on the blond's face. I caught a muffled snicker coming from Edward and I scowled at him briefly before his face shifted immediately into innocent blankness that I didn't buy for a second. Unhelpful little poop…

"Oh, sorry, didn't see you, man," Mike said, acting surprised. I fought the urge to roll my eyes; as if _anyone_ could miss the conspicuous presence of Edward. "Hey… I know you! You graduated from here three years ago!"

This time I _did_ roll my eyes; as if there were any other high schools in Forks to graduate from. I introduced them, watching in mild amusement as they sized each other up.

Abruptly, Mike reminded me of the dreaded movie I had promised to attend, purposefully making it sound like a date. I felt a flicker of annoyance and frowned as I corrected him and made sure Edward understood that I was going because of my promise to _Angela_, not Mike.

As the blond attempted to drag me away, I was hit with a sudden revelation.

"Wait, why doesn't Edward come with us?" I ignored Mike's surprised expression and turned to ask the copper-haired man himself. "Edward, do you wanna go watch—"

"Actually," Mike interrupted again, and I felt my slight annoyance bloom into full out irritation. "We're all taking my van and there isn't enough room for anyone else."

"Well, I can go with Edward in his car," I retorted impatiently. "I know the way to the cinema so it's not like we _have_ to take one car."

Mike spluttered for a moment before resigning himself and shrugging hopelessly. "Fine. Edward can come," he pouted sulkily.

I switched my pleased smile onto Edward and waited expectantly for him to agree. To my shock, he shook his head and declined the offer, smiling apologetically at me as I gaped at him.

What? I was pretty sure that he would want to come… I vaguely heard Mike saying something cheerfully but was too focused on Edward to really care. I stared at him in confusion and he nodded his head subtly at the paper in his hands then at the babbling blond before it hit me.

The stupid selfless git was going to back off for tonight and let Mike think he won. Damn him for making me like him even more… I shook my head at him in exasperation and he shrugged lightly.

"Bye, Edward," I murmured as Mike urged me to go join the crowd by his van. "It was great seeing you again."

"Yeah," he agreed, his deep voice tinged with mild sadness. "I'll see you soon." He waved the paper in his hand pointedly and grinned crookedly at me.

I felt my breath catch in my throat and laughed shakily, waving good-bye as Mike grabbed my free arm and tugged me away.

* * *

"Well… That was interesting," Angela drawled sarcastically as we exited the movie theater. I snorted loudly. Mike and Tyler had chosen the movie since the rest of us didn't have a particular choice in mind and that proved to be the downfall of the night. The entire movie was filled with cheesy lines, bad acting, lack of plot and horrendously awful special effects. Needless to say, no one was very pleased with the choice.

"That movie was _awesome!_"

And I take that back.

Mike and Tyler began to discuss the finer points of the movie loudly and I allowed my mind to conjure up images of a certain bronze-haired, green-eyed Adonis that had taken over my life as of late.

"What's got you smiling so dreamily?" A musical voice chirped beside me, breaking me out of my thoughts and causing me to jump guiltily. I turned to face the short, pixie-like girl who was walking gracefully beside me. Her friendly smile turned slightly mischievous. "Or should I say 'who'?"

I flushed at her words and she laughed pleasantly. "It's nothing, Alice," I denied unconvincingly, unable to meet her bright blue eyes.

Although Alice and I shared a math class as well as some friends, tonight was the first time that we had really ever said more than a greeting to each other. Surprisingly, I felt extremely comfortable around her, though that was probably due to her attractive personality. I doubt _anyone_ felt uncomfortable around Alice.

"Okay, can we get out of here already?" demanded Jessica shrilly, clutching her arms in an attempt to warm herself up. "I'm freezing my ass off!"

I rolled my eyes discreetly; it served her right, deciding to wear that ridiculously short skirt in such cool weather. I caught Alice doing the same and we grinned at each other before piling into the back of Mike's van.

Sitting between Angela and Alice, I felt exceedingly more content than earlier when I had been forced to sit up front with Mike.

The three of us chatted happily as Mike dropped everyone off, and soon we were driving down Angela's street. Alice and I waved good-bye to Angela as Mike pulled out of her driveway then climbed into the middle seats of the van to be more comfortable.

"I'll drop Alice home first," Mike said, grinning at us from the rearview mirror. "Then I'll bring you, Bella."

I frowned, shifting uneasily. The thought of being alone in a car with Mike was rather unpleasant. Sensing my apprehension, Alice patted my hand reassuringly before winking conspiratorially at me.

"Bella, didn't you say that you forgot your math book at school? I could lend you mine, if you want, then drive you home after."

I shot her a grateful look. "Yeah, I would really appreciate that. Mike, can you drop me off with Alice? You live across town from me anyway so you'll save on gas."

"Oh." There was silence for a moment before his cheerful voice continued. "Just like you to worry about me like that! Don't sweat it; I don't mind spending gas on you. You can go in, grab the textbook and I'll wait outside."

I froze in panic and looked at Alice for help. She was fighting back an amused smirk but helped me anyways.

"Well, I was wondering if Bella could help me with a question that I was having trouble with, you know, in return for me lending her the textbook," she replied smoothly, her voice practically dripping innocence.

"Sure, sure," I said quickly. "I would feel _terrible_ if I didn't repay you somehow."

Mike didn't say anything in return, but I could practically feel his waves of sullenness. I felt somewhat guilty but it was immediately forgotten when Alice grinned victoriously at me.

The minute I walked into Alice's gargantuan house, I felt significantly humbled. My own house was hardly considered small, but compared to Alice's lavish and stylish home, it felt cramped and stuffy. **(A/N: Link to the Cullen House can be found on my profile)**

Alice dropped her bag carelessly on the floor and motioned for me to do the same before dancing merrily towards a pair of doors across from us. "Are you hungry?" she called over her shoulder.

At her words, my stomach grumbled loudly and I blushed before following the black-haired girl past the set of swinging doors and into the most sophisticated kitchen I had ever seen. A giant of a man with short curly hair was seated at the elegant table, munching on a cookie while poring over a thick book. He looked up curiously as we entered and trained his hazel eyes on me.

"Hello, there," he greeted charmingly, cocking his head to the side.

"Hey, Em." Alice flitted over to the man and kissed him on the cheek. "This is Bella. She needed help so I invited her over." She smirked teasingly at me and I childishly stuck my tongue out at her. "Bella, this is my big brother Emmett. He might seem scary, but he's really just a big, fat, fluffy bunny."

"Hey!" Emmett retorted loudly while I giggled at the mental picture of the huge man in a bunny costume. "I resent that! I am _not _fat!" He shot me a simpering look that instantly melted my heart. "Am I?"

"No, you're not," I replied truthfully, still giggling softly. He grinned widely at me, causing his cheeks to crease into adorable dimples.

"I like you!" he announced cheerfully before abruptly becoming serious. "But what exactly did you need help for? I'm not exactly sure if I want a convicted murderer hiding in my kitchen."

I made a face, causing him to laugh and Alice took the chance to tell him about the problems I was having with Mike. When she was done, he was pounding heavily on the table and trying to catch his breath from laughing so hard.

I pouted lightly, crossing my arms over my chest. "It's not funny."

"Yes it is!" Emmett argued, his laughter dying down. "The poor creep can't take a hint!"

I huffed and was about to say something when my stomach gurgled a loud reminder. I felt my face heat up in embarrassment as Emmett collapsed again into a fit of guffaws.

"Oh, Bella, I'm sorry!" Alice apologized over her brother's laughs. "I completely forgot." She urged me into a chair before flinging open the stainless steel door of the fridge. "Is a sandwich okay?"

I nodded, cringing lightly as Emmett sprang up with a cry of "I'll help!" As the brother and sister put together my sandwich on the island behind me, I glanced curiously at the book that Emmett had been reading.

"Hey! My brother has this book!" I exclaimed as I read the title.

"Really? It's one of the texts for my _Urban and Regional Planning_ class. Is your brother taking an architecture class at Port Angeles University?"

"Mmhmm," I confirmed, somewhat bemused.

"Oh? What's his na—"

"Ta da!" Alice crowed suddenly, placing a plate in front of me with a flourish. I stared. In front of me was possibly the tallest sandwich I had ever seen.

"Um…" I looked up at Alice then Emmett. "How am I supposed to eat this?"

"Just squeeze it together and open wide!" Alice instructed. I glanced back at the sandwich dubiously. It was easily the size of my whole head; there was absolutely no way that I was going to be able to take a bite of that…

"Are those… chocolate chips??" Alice and Emmett nodded eagerly.

"Try it! Come on!" urged Emmett.

"Uh… I dunno you guys…" I continued to examine the thing carefully. I almost didn't want to know what that creamy white stuff oozing out between the lettuce and turkey was…

"That's yogurt!" Alice said helpfully.

Yogurt…?

I am _so_ not eating this.

I was in the process of pushing the plate away when my stomach growled hungrily.

"C'mon, Bella! Just try it! You know you wanna!"

"Yeah, Bella! We went through all the trouble of making it, you might as well eat it!"

I sighed, succumbing sadly to their peer pressure. I was _so_ gonna regret this.

Obligingly, I took a large bite of the monstrosity, my jaws working furiously to chew through the many layers of their creation. To my surprise, the taste wasn't as horrendous as I envisioned, quite the opposite actually and I nodded to them in approval.

The sound of the kitchen door swinging open caught my attention and I swung my head around instinctively. I gasped as my eyes landed on the face of the very person who had been trampling through my thoughts as of late, watching as his shimmering green eyes widened in surprise to match my own before narrowing suddenly in an abrupt, unexpected anger.

Then, I realized belatedly that gasping while swallowing was not the brightest of ideas and I clutched my throat as a half-chewed piece of food wedged itself in my esophagus. Then I promptly began to choke.

In the background, I could hear Emmett and Alice shouting loudly at each other, but most of my attention was focused on my lack of air and the smoldering green that was burning into my irises.

"Oh my God, oh my God, she's choking! Look what you _did,_ Emmett!"

"_Me_?! _You're_ the one who added the second layer of pickles!"

"Fine! It's _Edward's_ fault for scaring her in the first place!"

"Yeah! Edward, how does it feel to know that you killed a girl by showing her your face?"

"Whoa, she's turning purple. I _really_ don't think that's a good thing…"

"Shit! Quick, do the Heimlich Remover!"

"…Em, it's the Heimlich _Maneuver_, not 'remover'…"

"Oh. Well do it anyway before she dies! I don't want dad to come home and find a dead body on the kitchen floor; he still hasn't gotten over the 'Potato Incident' and he'll _really_ blow a fuse if I mess up now."

"Urgh, _why_ did you have to bring that up? I was just getting the images out of my mind too!"

Needless to say, I am _so_ not going to save _their_ lives next time they're dying. Luckily enough for me, Edward crossed the distance between us in three long, hard strides and urgently pounded on my back with a large, powerful hand. I felt my airways reopen as the piece of sandwich dislodged itself and I rapidly spat it out before bending over and coughing violently.

Even once my coughing subsided, I remained in my bent over position, my hands braced on my knees as I panted in an effort to catch my breath. My heart was drumming erratically in my ears, and for once, Edward had little to do with it. As my heart rate calmed and my adrenaline levels dropped down to normal, I lifted my head and aimed a grateful smile to my once-again savior.

My grin wavered and died though, the second I caught a glimpse of the angry, frustrated and downright terrifying scowl on his face. To make it even worse, it was directed completely at me! I fought the urge to flinch and instead frowned right back at him. How did I wrong him in any way? Was this the same Edward that I had been thinking about for the past 3 days?

"Alice," he growled suddenly, breaking the tense silence in the kitchen and making me jump in surprise. "What is _she_ doing here?"

Although he spoke to the small, pixie-like girl, his hard jade eyes stayed locked on mine. I felt a wave of hurt and rejection wash over me at his words and couldn't keep a small whimper from escaping my lips. I just didn't grasp what was going on. We were on rather good terms last time we spoke—which was really only a few hours ago—and I had no idea what caused this furious, mean side of Edward to appear.

Hearing my pitiful sound, Edward's eyes softened almost imperceptibly and I felt a rush of hope swell in my chest. _My_ Edward was still in there somewhere!

"Now wait just a minute!" a deep voice boomed from beside me. Both Edward and I turned our gazes to Emmett who was glaring at Edward. "That's absolutely _no_ way to treat a guest, let alone a _lady_!" he reprimanded loudly, placing a huge, protective hand on my shoulder. "I _know_ Mom taught you the same manners she taught me, and don't you dare insult her by acting like such a hoodlum!"

Ohh, so Edward was Emmett and Alice's brother? _That_ explained why he was randomly in their house… I smiled gratefully at Emmett, touched that he had stood up for me.

"That's _Isabella_ _Swan_, by the way," Edward growled quietly. Emmett pulled back his hand suddenly as if I had burned him and I blinked in surprise. Ok, _now_ I was beyond confused.

"But-but!" Emmett stuttered pointing a large finger at me. "How can she be _Isabella Swan_? Her name's Bell—oh…right."

"So _what _if she's _Isabella Swan_?" Alice snapped angrily. "You guys are so dumb with your—"

"Shut up, Alice!" Edward ordered furiously, causing his sister's mouth to snap shut with an audible click. "You shouldn't have brought _Isabella Swan_ here in the first place!"

"Hold on!" I shouted loudly springing to my feet. "What's going on? Why is Edward so angry that I'm here? And _why, _in the name of everything Holy, is everyone using my name like a swear word?!"

"Oh, so you're gonna play dumb then?" Edward questioned darkly, his eyes boring into me painfully. "As if you didn't know!"

"Know _what_?" I snapped, trying to hide my hurt at his accusing tone.

"She _doesn't _know!" Alice snarled at Edward who stepped back in surprise.

"_What_ don't I know?" I felt the frustration and bafflement swirl together in my mind to create a pounding headache.

"Bella," Alice murmured softly, smiling sadly at me. "My last name. You don't know it."

"Sure I do!" I retorted in confusion. I scrambled quickly through my mind, searching for it and coming up blank. "Well, so what if I don't?"

"My name is Alice Cullen." She pointed to her two brothers who were now watching me with identical blank expressions. "Edward Cullen and Emmett Cullen. You are now standing in the _Cullen_ household."

I froze. Cullen? As in… _those _Cullens?

Oh. _Oh. _

"Oh…"

* * *

**A/N: **So yeah, I hope that was up to par, I'll try my best to update soon so stay tuned!

Remember, if you want a **preview of the next chapter**, review and tell me so!

Thanks for reading and take care! PLEASE REVIEW!!


	8. Margin of Dirt

**Summary: **In a modern twist of Romeo&Juliet, Edward, Bella and their feuding families fight to overcome deeply set prejudices against one another in hope of finding love, friendship and forgiveness. AU, AH, E/B, J/A, EM/R.

**A/N: **I'm not very happy with this chapter but I decided to just put it up anyway. I hope you guys enjoy it more than I did and I'll try my best to update faster for next chapter. Thanks to all of you who reviewed, I love all of you so much! I don't know what I would do without you guys :P I think this is the first time I've updated in the middle of the day (normally I do it in the wee hours of the morning) so I feel rather weird :) Anyway, thanks so much for sticking with me and I hope you continue to do so til the end!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight, it's characters or the plot of Romeo and Juliet.

* * *

.

.

**Chapter 8: Margin of Dirt**

**Edward POV**

.

.**  
**

I felt my anger drain out rapidly as confusion, surprise and fear flashed rapidly across Bella's face, making my heart clench painfully. My body automatically started to reach out to comfort her but I froze as she cringed and took a step back, turning the full force of her frightened eyes on me. My arm dropped back to my side and I clenched my fists tightly to ward off the nausea that was building up in my stomach.

"I…I…" she stuttered softly, her eyes jumping frantically around the room as if she were a cornered animal searching for a way out.

"Bella," Alice murmured soothingly. "It's okay, we're—"

"I thought you were my friend, Alice!" Bella interrupted loudly, her eyes wide and her voice shrill with slight hysteria. Alice flinched as if she had been slapped. "And _you_!" Bella swung around abruptly and pointed a trembling finger at me. "You…you…" She trailed off weakly, her gaze shining with unshed tears. She swiped angrily at her eyes and laughed humorlessly. "I can't believe I fell for it."

Without another word, she strode purposefully passed me and through the swinging kitchen door. My heart moaned longingly as the smell of freesias drifted by but I made no move to stop her; none of us did. A moment later, the slamming of the front door alerted us to her departure and a wave of hopelessness washed over me, leaving me feeling weary and exhausted.

"What a drama queen," Emmett rumbled darkly, crossing his large arms over his chest. "It was a bit overdone, don't you think? But really, those Swans stooped pretty low this time. Using our ever trusting Alice to get close to us? Pfft! Good thing Edward here—"

"Shut up, Emmett." Hazel and sapphire eyes swiveled towards me at my order. "I think this is all just a big misunderstanding."

"_Thank_ you!" Alice cried loudly throwing her arms over her head in exasperation. "That's what I've been trying to tell you guys from the beginning!"

"Well now's your chance," I said pointedly. She made a face at me, which I ignored, before starting to talk.

"I've always made an effort to keep Bella from knowing my last name, 'cause you _know_ how much I hate people making prejudgments," she explained, glaring accusingly at me and Emmett. "It wasn't exactly hard; we don't really run in the same circles and she keeps pretty much to herself. Anyway, after _Romeo_ over here bumped into her at her birthday party—"

"Wait, wait!" Emmett interrupted loudly. "_She's_ the one Edward was all gaga over at the Swan house??"

"I was _not_ 'all gaga' over her!" I retorted indignantly.

"Oh, _please_!" he snorted incredulously. "You were so lost in Lala Land, I'm surprised we didn't end up crashing into a tree on our way home!"

"Hey! That's—"

"Do you guys want an explanation or not?" Alice snapped impatiently, causing Emmett and me to fall silent, though we continued to glare at each other. "As I was saying: after Edward met Bella at her birthday party and seemed to genuinely like her, I thought we could finally dissolve this stupid family feud we have by having you guys know each other without all the prejudices."

"Alice," Emmett began softly, a sad smile on his face. "It's great that you wanna fix this, but have you thought about how maybe _they_ wouldn't want to? Plus, it's not that easy. Just 'cause Bella seems nice enough doesn't mean that they're all like that. Edward and I personally know how the rest of the Swan family really is and believe me, you _don't_ wanna be friends with them."

"But if you guys just let go of the past and got to know each other," Alice argued desperately, sensing how she was losing ground. "Maybe things will be different from what you thought."

Emmett just shook his head. "This 'feud' between our families has been there for generations, Al. It's not just gonna up and disappear 'cause we made some new friends."

"You're not gonna even _try_?" Emmett shrugged his broad shoulders at our sister's question and I followed suit when she turned her beseeching eyes on me. I looked away quickly as her face fell, unable to stomach the disappointment swimming in her gaze.

She sighed dejectedly and walked silently out of the kitchen, leaving me and Emmett alone with our thoughts.

After a moment, I straightened and headed for the door. "I'm gonna go for a drive."

Emmett stared at me with perceptive eyes, clearly seeing through my poor excuse but only nodded in understanding. "Make sure you get home safe."

i.e. Make sure you get _her_ home safe.

I smiled slightly, conveying that I got his subtle message before leaving the kitchen. I was about to slip into the garage when a familiar red school bag beside the front door caught my eye. I sighed; she was obviously very upset to have forgotten her back pack.

I scooped up the worn bag, fighting the urge to bury my nose in it when I caught a hint of her scent, and placed it beside me in the passenger seat of my Volvo. I had barely driven half a mile before I caught sight of her silhouette in my headlights. She was trudging steadily along the narrow road but edged carefully onto the margin of dirt between the pavement and the steep slope into the forest as my car approached.

She stiffened visibly as I slowed down beside her, staring determinedly forward as I rolled down the passenger window.

"Bella!

She spun quickly and met my gaze, her face lighting up as she smiled in relief. "Oh, thank God it's just you, Edward!"

I felt all my anxieties and confusion melt at her smile and I couldn't stop the reassured grin from forming on my lips. "Get in. I'll drive you home."

At my words, her expression hardened and she frowned before turning away from me and continued along the path. "No thanks, I'd rather walk."

I felt as if someone had punched me in the stomach and I winced before inching alongside her. "Look, Bella, climb in and I'll explain everything to you."

"What's there to explain?" she retorted hotly, refusing to look at me. "I'm not stupid, you know!"

"I never said you were stupid. Now please, get in the car; it's not safe out there."

"'Not safe'?" she mimicked angrily, stopping and turning so abruptly, I braked too late and she had to take a step to be aligned with the window again. "Ha! As if you ever cared about me anyway! All you wanted was to get back at Jasper and Rosalie by getting to me!"

I bristled in offense and gripped the steering wheel tightly as a wave of anger with a hint of hurt swamped me. Did she really think that of me? "Bella," I said with forced calmness. "Get. In. The car. Now."

"Why?" she snapped. "'Cause honestly, I think I'm 'safer' out here."

"Because!" I exploded suddenly, letting all my aggravation, confusion, hurt and remorse pour out into that single word. "Despite what you think, I _do_ care about you and I want to explain everything to you like a civilized person if you'd only stop being stubborn and get in the goddamned car!"

Bella's angry scowl had dropped at my tone and she was watching me with wary surprise. I saw her hand rise to open the car door and I mentally breathed a sigh of relief which quickly turned into a groan of frustration when her walls jumped back into place and she dropped her arm, glaring at me.

"Almost got me again, _Cullen_," she muttered darkly, her brown eyes smoldering with emotion. She twisted sharply forward and was in the process of taking a step when she promptly disappeared.

I blinked in surprise for a second before her scream, followed by the sound of many breaking twigs, broke me out of my stupor. "Shit!" I muttered before leaping out of my car and swinging around to the other side where she had been standing only a moment ago.

"Bella?" I cried out in alarm, sliding carefully down the slope and following the trail of broken twigs and branches. "Bella!"

"Ow…" I turned towards her voice and searched around in the darkness. Finally, my eyes lit upon her crumpled form at the base of a tree and I quickly crouched down beside her, not touching her yet for fear of hurting her further.

"Bella, where does it hurt?"

Bella groaned again but slowly sat up, leaning against the tree for support and swatting my hovering hands away. "I'm fine. Just a few scrapes and bruises." She attempted to stand but hissed in pain and sat back down, stretching her right leg out in front of her. "And a twisted ankle, possibly sprained."

I chuckled humorlessly, running a hand through my messy hair anxiously. "And here I thought _I_ was the doctor-in-training."

"Well if you're as accident-prone as me, you tend to learn a few things about injuries," she explained, sighing tiredly. "Great, now I _have_ to ask for your help."

I didn't answer, stung that she didn't want me to be here, even if it was to help her. Her head swung in my direction when I said nothing and her hand reached out to see if I was still there.

"Edward?" Her questing fingers brushed against my cheek and I closed my eyes, savoring her touch for a moment before forcing myself to pull away.

"C'mon, let's get you home." If she heard the pain in my voice, she didn't mention it.

Carefully, I eased one arm under her knees and the other around her lower back before scooping her up and cradling her against my chest. She squeaked softly at the sudden movement and threw her arms instinctively around my neck.

The climb upwards took much longer than I expected and it probably would have been easier if Bella was on my back but I was too content to have her in my arms to make the switch. As it was, a good half an hour had passed by the time we were back to my Volvo.

Bella had stayed mostly silent for the duration of the climb, only breaking the silence by saying she could walk or gasping when I slipped slightly on the loose dirt. She continued to stay quiet as I awkwardly opened the passenger door to my still idling car and slid her into the seat, buckling her in securely.

I walked over to the driver's side—where I had left the door wide open in my haste to get to her—and sank into the leather of my seat. The two of us sat in silence for a long moment, staring straight forward and not daring to look at the other.

Finally, I pulled the gear into drive and sped off towards the city, focusing hard on the twists and turns that I could navigate in my sleep instead of the girl beside me. We were just leaving the wooded area around my house and were on the main road back to the center of Forks when she said something.

"You're not wearing your seatbelt."

I glanced at her before turning my eyes back to the road. "I know."

There was a beat of silence before: "It's dangerous. And illegal."

I had almost forgotten that the _Police Chief's daughter_ was sitting next to me. Steering with my knees, I reached for the seatbelt and clipped it into place. This time I only had to wait a few seconds before she was talking again.

"You know, I'm still waiting for you to say it."

"Say what?" I questioned lightly, noticing out of the corner of my eye that she was actually looking at me now.

"'I told you so'."

"What did you tell me so?"

She huffed in frustration and I smirked to let her know I was just teasing before shrugging. "I'm not really the 'I told you so' kind of person."

"Oh."

We passed the police station where her father was probably still sitting within, burrowing himself in as much work as he possibly could. She shifted subtly in her seat.

"Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"I told you so."

She laughed and I smiled tenderly at the lovely sound.

"Um, thanks for getting my bag," she said after another brief silence. "I kinda forgot about it when I ran out…"

She trailed off and I could feel the tension building again.

"No biggie," I replied as casually as I could while pulling up in front of her house. All the lights were on and if I focused really hard on the living room window, I could almost see a tall shadow pacing back and forth anxiously.

I sighed silently and unbuckled my seatbelt; I was dreading having to face Jasper or Rosalie with their injured sister at ten o'clock at night while covered in dirt and sweat. I was just about to open my door when Bella's hand on my arm stopped me.

I looked up and met Bella's earnest gaze questioningly. She blushed suddenly and looked down at her hand on top of my arm but didn't pull back.

"You still owe me an explanation," she murmured quietly, fidgeting nervously.

I felt my heart warm at such an adorable sight but kept my tone carefully neutral. "Bella, I don't want to force you into listening to me if you don't want to."

She frowned, shaking her head gently. "You're not forcing me to do anything. Now tell me."

Without another moment of hesitation, I told her everything Alice told me. Then I told her about how _I_ had thought she was the one using me to get to my family and that was the reason I had acted the way I did when I saw her in my kitchen.

When I was done, Bella sighed wearily and leaned back in her seat, taking one of my hands along with her, much to my delight. "What a tangled mess this all is," she muttered softly as she weaved her fingers through mine.

"I know," I breathed, squeezing her small hand gently and smiling crookedly when she met my eyes. "I'm just happy that we got passed this. Now we can move on."

"Yeah…" she trailed off, moving her gaze out the car window.

I frowned in concern, tugging lightly on her hand so that she would look at me again. "Do you not want to…?" I asked hesitantly, both dreading and anticipating her answer.

Her eyes widened in surprise and she shook her head frantically. "What? No, no, Edward that's not what I meant! Of _course_ I want us to move on with our relationship!" She blushed brilliantly, as if suddenly realizing what she had just said and I couldn't keep a relieved chuckle from bubbling out passed my lips.

"But?" I pressed, sobering up in preparation for whatever reservation Bella had.

"But," she continued, fiddling with my fingers the same way she had the first time we met. "What about our families? I mean, Jasper would _freak_ if he knew I was sitting in your car right now. And you saw how Emmett acted once he found out who I was."

I heard the dejected sadness in her voice and reached out with my free hand, gently brushing my knuckles against her soft cheek.

"Bella, I'll talk to Emmett and explain everything," I promised, shifting my fingers so that my hand cradled her face. "It might take a while, but Emmett will come to his senses soon enough. And," I paused taking a steadying breath and locking her deep brown eyes with my own. "If you think this will be too hard, if you don't want to be at ends with your family, I completely understand. If you want to stop this now, and skip all the drama that is sure to unfold in the near future, just say the word. Just say it and I'll leave."

I felt both of Bella's hands dig into the front of my shirt, twisting tightly for more leverage before she was pulling me towards her with a strength that surprised me.

"Don't you _dare_!" she whispered emphatically, her expression blazing in emotion that left me breathless. "I don't care if they disown me, hell, I'll disown me _myself_ if it means I can stay with you."

For a moment, I was frozen in place by the passion in her eyes but I quickly snapped out of it and gathered her tightly to my chest, burrowing my face reverently into her hair.

"I'm sorry, I won't leave you," I vowed, my voice coming out hoarser than I expected. "I'll stay with you as long as you'll have me." She didn't answer, but I felt her release my shirt and twine her arms around my neck, squeezing to acknowledge my words. I wished that I could hold her in my arms like this forever but after a few minutes, she squirmed slightly.

"Edward," she called, her voice muffled from being pressed tightly against my collarbone. "My seatbelt is digging into me and it's not very comfortable."

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah I really didn't like where this ended either. But hopefully you enjoyed it at least a little bit. As a reminder:

**IF YOU WANT A PREVIEW, PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME SO**

But yes, I find I actually feel more motivated to continue writing when I give out previews. Every time someone asks for one and I open the document to get it, I always feel more inclined to write more so yes, please review and if you want a preview, please don't be shy. Thanks again for reading and I hope to see you soon! Bye!


End file.
